Following is a summary of a DailyMail UK article:
A fourteen year old Muslim refugee named Ahmed Mohamed with a past history of causing problems at school was arrested in Irving, Texas for bringing a device that looked like a bomb to class, resulting in him becoming a hero of the political Establishment and receiving many high profile opportunities including being invited to participate in the annual Google Science fair in California, meeting with Queen Rania of Jordan in New York, and visiting Barack Obama at the White House where he was asked to bring the bomb-like device with him.
Mohamed’s homemade clock started beeping in class, resulting in the police being called and him being arrested. No charges were filed but he was suspended from school for three days, which shockingly prompted the international outcry purporting that he has been victimized due to being a Muslim.
Texas Municipal Patrolman’s Association president Heath Wester said that he believed Ahmed took the device into the school as a publicity stunt: “I think his intent was to see how far he could get with the device and to see what kind of alarmant he could get. And as you can see now, he’s got what he asked for. He’s gotten that alarmant. He’s gotten that excitement or whatever he was trying to get. He got it.”
Beth Van Dunye, the Mayor of Irving, Texas
The Mayor of Irving Beth Van Dunye also supports the school’s decision to arrest Mohamed. Van Dunye has been criticized in the past for being an outspoken opponent of the potential encroachment of Islamic Sharia law in Dallas.
Also see an article on SettingTheRecordStraight examining aspects of the issue potentially being a part of a bigger conspiracy:
____
Update: 8/10/16— Mohamed’s family has now filed a lawsuit against the Texas school officials and others, saying they violated his civil rights, prompted death threats, and forced them to leave the country. Following are excerpts from this ABC News article:
The lawsuit names Irving Independent School District, the city of Irving and the school’s principal, and asks a jury to determine the damages. In November, the family asked the district and city to pay $15 million or else face a suit. District spokeswoman Lesley Weaver said in a statement Monday that attorneys for the district will review the suit and determine a course of action.
…
The family has since moved to Qatar, citing threats and a scholarship offered to Ahmed in the Persian Gulf country. Ahmed moved back to the U.S. last month for the summer to visit family and friends, and will do some traveling around the country, but will return to Qatar next month to start 10th grade at Qatar Academy, a private school in Doha.
“For the safety of my family, I have to go back to Qatar, because right now it’s not very safe for my family or for anyone who’s a minority,” Ahmed said during Monday’s news conference.
…
Among the claims made in the suit, which was brought by the teen’s father, is that the boy’s right to equal protection under the law was violated and that officers arrested him without probable cause.
Ahmed was a victim of systemic discrimination by the school district and state Board of Education that has marginalized Muslims and other minority groups, the suit claims.
…
Ahmed’s story brought an outpouring of support from President Barack Obama, other political leaders, corporate executives and NASA scientists.
See the full ABC News article.