High School student arrestsed for bringing homemade clock to school.

[GaryDis]

I don't know much about explosives, but I'd think the obvious first question to ask is where is the stuff that goes boom. Wires may overheat and burn, but they don't go boom. Resistors and capacitors and such may go pop if they're overloaded, but they don't go boom. ICs can burn, but they don't go boom. Circuit boards don't go boom. So where's the boom?

Now, if he had brought in a pressure cooker, that might be a different story. But how many people would be scared of a pressure cooker?

 

[NHdisneylover]

I will reiterate that I do not think it would be a big deal or wrong if teacher reported it or the police were called in to confirm that it was not an explosive. It is the arrest, charge (yes, now dropped, but why was it ever made?) and suspension which I find totally inappropriate and over the top.

and goodness yes, surely the poor kid was shaken when being questioned with police there. I had the surreal and freaky experience of being awoken to three police officers at my door this morning with a warrant to search our home for a stolen cell phone. Apparently it was stolen in July and the IP address from when it was last logged in was here. After a bit the name of the owner was mentioned, DD's best friend who had spent the night here that night (I was able to show the police her name written on the calendar from then). I, an adult am still shaken by the our of the blue accusation of police, and no handcuffs were involved.

(and, yes, apparently German police have an astonishing amount of time and resources to devote to looking for 200€ cell phones which have gone missing)

 

[JaxDad]

I will reiterate that I do not think it would be a big deal or wrong if teacher reported it or the police were called in to confirm that it was not an explosive. It is the arrest, charge (yes, now dropped, but why was it ever made?) and suspension which I find totally inappropriate and over the top.

I generally agree with this. However, nobody but Ahmed and the police officers present know how that initial questioning went down. I am not an LEO, but I'm sure they are taught to look for warning signs in the mannerisms of a potential bad guy. And I bet poor Ahmed just naturally exhibited many of those same signs. As others have noted, he obviously would have been scared.

We also don't know if Ahmed may have made an unfortunate off-hand comment when he showed the clock to the non-science teacher. "Isn't this cool Mrs. Smith? It's a clock, but it kind of looks like a movie bomb, doesn't it?" (The term "movie bomb" pops up in some of the media stories, and I have wondered how that started.) The police may have acted prudently in getting Ahmed and the clock out of the school for the safety of others, until they could get it all sorted out. Maybe the only way to do that was to bring initial charges. Again, I'm not an LEO, so I have no idea.

Finally, I have not seen anything in any of the stories about the police interrogating him "for hours" as some have implied on this thread. I read that they took him for detention (again, away from the school for safety), and called his parents to come get him.

 

[sam_gordon]

Here's what I don't get...

Even if you're not an engineering teacher, a student brings you this device, says "Hey, Mr. Jones, look at the clock I made!". Mr Jones' first thought is "oh, this can be a bomb", not "oh, turn it on and show us" or (if you are truly worried about explosives) "Oh, let's get your engineering teacher in here and show her!" SURELY the engineering teacher or someone at that school could have taken a quick look and realized there was no explosives.

Sorry, I don't think police should have been called, the arrest and suspension were WAY out of line, and the letter the principal sent out to parents (about how they kept kids safe) is a cover up attempt instead of owning up to mistakes (which we need to teach our kids).

 

[Suger Mag]

I generally agree with this. However, nobody but Ahmed and the police officers present know how that initial questioning went down. I am not an LEO, but I'm sure they are taught to look for warning signs in the mannerisms of a potential bad guy. And I bet poor Ahmed just naturally exhibited many of those same signs. As others have noted, he obviously would have been scared.

We also don't know if Ahmed may have made an unfortunate off-hand comment when he showed the clock to the non-science teacher. "Isn't this cool Mrs. Smith? It's a clock, but it kind of looks like a movie bomb, doesn't it?" (The term "movie bomb" pops up in some of the media stories, and I have wondered how that started.) The police may have acted prudently in getting Ahmed and the clock out of the school for the safety of others, until they could get it all sorted out. Maybe the only way to do that was to bring initial charges. Again, I'm not an LEO, so I have no idea.

Finally, I have not seen anything in any of the stories about the police interrogating him "for hours" as some have implied on this thread. I read that they took him for detention (again, away from the school for safety), and called his parents to come get him.

LOL... like the #1 warning sign of being Muslim. If this kid had been white, this never would have happened.If it was Jimmy MacDonald... I bet his "clock" would have ended up inside the case at the front entrance where everyone can see what smart kids they have at this school.

 

[Alice Sr.]

I generally agree with this. However, nobody but Ahmed and the police officers present know how that initial questioning went down. I am not an LEO, but I'm sure they are taught to look for warning signs in the mannerisms of a potential bad guy. And I bet poor Ahmed just naturally exhibited many of those same signs. As others have noted, he obviously would have been scared.

He was on TV this AM, he has a career in acting if his demeanor was a front for the cameras.

 

[kamik86]

Ok, I've been reading about this story all day without seeing the picture of the clock. I agreed that it was an over-reaction, HOWEVER that is a very "movie bomb" looking clock in a case like that.

Nope stilll looks nothing like a bomb. It looks like two circuit boards and a display with an itty bitty transformer (which tells me this thing runs on very little power) and... nothing that remote looks like an explosive.

Now if you filled the empty space with silly putty or something else that might be mistaken for C4 I MIGHT manage to stretch this to be a bomb.

It does look like a clock I have seen... The ones I built in when I was in 9th grade... although mine had 8 segment LEDs instead of the cool display his has.

When I was a kid if my things had cases they were MUCH more makeshift then this one. Generally a box made of bent sheet metal that the metal fab freshman would make us.

 

[NHdisneylover]

I generally agree with this. However, nobody but Ahmed and the police officers present know how that initial questioning went down. I am not an LEO, but I'm sure they are taught to look for warning signs in the mannerisms of a potential bad guy. And I bet poor Ahmed just naturally exhibited many of those same signs. As others have noted, he obviously would have been scared.

We also don't know if Ahmed may have made an unfortunate off-hand comment when he showed the clock to the non-science teacher. "Isn't this cool Mrs. Smith? It's a clock, but it kind of looks like a movie bomb, doesn't it?" (The term "movie bomb" pops up in some of the media stories, and I have wondered how that started.) The police may have acted prudently in getting Ahmed and the clock out of the school for the safety of others, until they could get it all sorted out. Maybe the only way to do that was to bring initial charges. Again, I'm not an LEO, so I have no idea.

Finally, I have not seen anything in any of the stories about the police interrogating him "for hours" as some have implied on this thread. I read that they took him for detention (again, away from the school for safety), and called his parents to come get him.

You have a scrawny 14 year old kid. You have a device that no one seems to take seriously as a bomb (they didn't evacuate the building and call in the bomb squad or anything) and you have the police agreeing that at no time did the kid say it was anything other than a clock.

Knowing that the police have stated Ahmed never said it was a bomb and always maintained it was a clock, and knowing they did not feel it was an imminent threat to anyone (again, school was not evacuated) I cannot see how it is justified to handcuff the kid and take him into custody--no matter how frightened he may have seen. At MOST (and I would still think it were an overreaction) call the parents and release him to their custody while you investigate.

Do I think anyone should be fired? No. Do I think the school and the police need to seriously review policies and also look at what role discrimination played in this case? Yes. Do I think the officers who made the decision to arrest this kid, and administrator who called police and interrogated him and whoever made the decision to charge him and to suspend him owe him an apology? Yes, yes I do. They screwed up, they need to own it and try to make it right--like we are supposed to be teaching our kids to do as well.

 

[JaxDad]

LOL... like the #1 warning sign of being Muslim. If this kid had been white, this never would have happened.If it was Jimmy MacDonald... I bet his "clock" would have ended up inside the case at the front entrance where everyone can see what smart kids they have at this school.

Maybe. The article I read from the NY Times indicated that there was more to the story, but the school district could not release additional information due to privacy laws, unless the parents consented.

I was just saying nobody but Ahmed, the teacher, school administration, and the cops know what actually went down. Unfortunately, that does not stop people from implying they do know.

 

[kamik86]

Maybe. The article I read from the NY Times indicated that there was more to the story, but the school district could not release additional information due to privacy laws, unless the parents consented.

I was just saying nobody but Ahmed, the teacher, school administration, and the cops know what actually went down. Unfortunately, that does not stop people from implying they do know.

Since the police have stated to the media that the kid never said it was a bomb.

What scenario can you come up with that would possibly make this not an overreaction? The only one I could come up with before was that the kid said something about it being a bomb or somehow implied it was dangerous. But the police have stated he didn't do this. I believe the police on this because why would they tell a lie that makes them look like complete bozos?

I'm glad that others are reaching out to this kid to show him that some adults are happy to foster his interest in science and engineering. An incident like this might otherwise discourage him from taking that path.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Oh and as far as references to a "movie bomb" I kind of assumed that is because real bombs need stuff that blows up and it seems illogical that anyone thought this was a bomb, so they are explaining it looks like a bomb in the movies does. I think it is a HUGE stretch to try to place that on the kid as him somehow saying something to make people think it was a bomb.

 

[Dawnlight]

No kidding. My nerdy son would have completely freaked at being hauled out of school by the police for an engineering project. And, I would have some choice words for any policeman/woman who interrogated my son without allowing me to be present and assist him. That can't be right, and there is NO parent here who would say "sure have at my young teen for HOURS."

Mine, too.

It's not only police that interrogate kids without parents present. I've read articles about how school administration is contracting services to teach advanced interrogation techniques. The school acts as parent by proxy, so won't call in parents at all. Scary times.

http://www.theguardian.com/commenti...tion-schools-turns-principals-police-officers

I've often thought that I'd write up my own policies and send them in to be signed off by the school/administration/teachers. My kids' high school handbook is about 165 pages long of legalese and what they are expected not to do and what the consequences will be.

 

[PrincessElena]

Ahh, got it. Good point. My mind didn't even go there. @hopemax

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

I am SOOOOO not one to call race on every incident or to sue over every little thing. But this is one case that I hope those parents sue everyone involved! I truly believe if it had been Johnny Mulligan bringing in the same clock, nothing would have been done. But Ahmed was judged out of the gate as a possible terrorist.

Couple things that just don't make sense....

If the teacher truly thought it was a bomb and real threat to other students, why take your time about investigating? Why sit with the "bomb" in your classroom? Why weren't police and bomb team descending on that school immediately and bringing the bomb-sniffing dogs? Why were the kids allowed to stay in the class? People defending the teacher say, "What if it had really been a bomb? She did the right thing." Ummm, no. If it had really been a bomb she put the entire school at risk with her lack of immediate action.

Once it was determined it really was a clock and Ahmed had not made any threats at all, why was he still suspended??? What exactly did he do wrong?

Why handcuffs? Did he ever pose a threat to anyone? Police aren't saying he did. And I'm sure they would justify their actions if they could! So he wasn't officially charged--that's why they could talk to him without his parents. If he wasn't charged, why was he cuffed?

This whole thing is just wrong....

 

[JaxDad]

Nope stilll looks nothing like a bomb. It looks like two circuit boards and a display with an itty bitty transformer (which tells me this thing runs on very little power) and... nothing that remote looks like an explosive.

Yep, but I don't think I'll be slipping one in my carry-on bag next time I fly...

 

[Suger Mag]

Maybe. The article I read from the NY Times indicated that there was more to the story, but the school district could not release additional information due to privacy laws, unless the parents consented.

I was just saying nobody but Ahmed, the teacher, school administration, and the cops know what actually went down. Unfortunately, that does not stop people from implying they do know.

Very, very true, If we stick to the simple facts that have been released then the whole scenario is crazy stupid.

A kid brings a homemade project to school.
Kid shows it to a teacher.
Teacher gets concerned and takes it to the Admin.


Admin calls Police.
Police take kid away in handcuffs.
Police interrogate kid and charge him with a crime of "hoax bomb'.

Even with the logical and safe view of the teacher potentially being concerned ( I can personally see this in a post-Columbine world as not being too "crazy stupid"). Why this situation escalated to the point where police were called and this kid was placed in handcuffs and taken away like a terrorist is where this gets crazy stupid.

If this whole thing had not exploded in the media, the charges might not have been dropped so quickly and this could have been something that would have prevented this kid from getting financial aid or getting into college... potentially impacting his future in a seriously negative way. That kind of record sticks with you... never mind he would be on every 'no-fly list' forever. At the least, it would have taken a huge$$ impact to his family to hire a lawyer to defend him.

I am glad that it is starting to appear as if fate will turn this into a positive for this kid, opening up some amazing opportunities.

I don't like to post too often, my sarcastic sense of humor gets me in trouble with the mods LOL... so I TRY to refrain from getting pulled in too often... But I cannot let this one slide... Pot calling Kettle black... I totally agree with sticking to the facts, yet you are the one who has a conversation made up.

We also don't know if Ahmed may have made an unfortunate off-hand comment when he showed the clock to the non-science teacher. "Isn't this cool Mrs. Smith? It's a clock, but it kind of looks like a movie bomb, doesn't it?"

 

[fly girl]

I wonder if the Secret Service will let Ahmed breeze right through security with his "clock."

Sure, they'd look at it. And with their extensive training know right away it wasn't a bomb.

There's no explosive part to the clock! Even my untrained eye can figure that one out.

 

[SirDuff]

Very, very true, If we stick to the simple facts that have been released then the whole scenario is crazy stupid.

A kid brings a homemade project to school.
Kid shows it to a teacher.
Teacher gets concerned and takes it to the Admin.


Admin calls Police.
Police take kid away in handcuffs.
Police interrogate kid and charge him with a crime of "hoax bomb'.

Even with the logical and safe view of the teacher potentially being concerned ( I can personally see this in a post-Columbine world as not being too "crazy stupid"). Why this situation escalated to the point where police were called and this kid was placed in handcuffs and taken away like a terrorist is where this gets crazy stupid.

And why wouldn't they have evacuated the school? For people that were so worried that it was a bomb, they stayed remarkably close to it (and kept other students in the "danger zone").

 

[NHdisneylover]

Yep, but I don't think I'll be slipping one in my carry-on bag next time I fly...

Well, first off, people expect to have to worry more about what things may look like when flying than in normal situations so I think it is kind of a silly justification for the stance that Ahmed's treatment was reasonable.

Secondly, it makes sense for a student to want to show a teacher an invention; it makes less sense for a person to randomly take a homemade clock or something similar on a flight (in a carry on, no less).

But, let's say for the sake of argument that Ahmed could have taken this on a flight to take to some science fair somewhere and had it in his carry on. I would expect security to notice it and pull it out and pull him aside for a little extra screening and inspection. He would explain it is a homemade clock and possibly a little about how it works. Reasonable TSA agents might swab it to check for explosives, ask him to turn it on to show it works (like computers and cell phones are sometime required to do) etc. But even then, arresting him would not make sense to me as a procedure.

 

[SirDuff]

Yep, but I don't think I'll be slipping one in my carry-on bag next time I fly...

I wouldn't bring my filled water bottle in my carry-on bag the next time I fly either - doesn't mean that I should have any fear bringing it into a school.