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Ahmed Mohamed, Muslim Teen Arrested For ‘Bomb’ Clock, Had His Rights Violated By Texas Police?

By Patrick Frye
Published on: 05:29 PST, Sep 17, 2015

Ahmed Mohamed, the Muslim teen who was arrested for allegedly making a clock that was mistaken for a bomb, has put his school and the local police department under scrutiny in recent days. The #IStandWithAhmed hashtag became viral due to his situation, and now, it is claiming that the police may have violated his rights based upon the way he was treated.

In a related report by the Inquisitr, many celebrities voiced their concern over how the school treated Ahmed Mohamed. Barack Obama invited Ahmed to the White House and even Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg handed out an invite to the future engineer.

Irving Police spokesman Officer James McLellan said they had Ahmed Mohamed arrested because the Texas Muslim teen would not clearly identify what exactly the clock device was and how it operated. The digital clock was apparently carried inside a briefcase, and Ahmed had plugged it into an electrical wall outlet during class.

“We attempted to question the juvenile about what it was and he would simply only tell us that it was a clock,” McLellan said, who claimed Ahmed was being “passive aggressive” in his answers to their questions. “It could reasonably be mistaken as a device if left in a bathroom or under a car. The concern was, what was this thing built for? Do we take him into custody?”

The Dallas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said Ahmed was targeted because of his Muslim beliefs, and Ahmed’s parents claimed 9/11 fears were to blame.

“I think this wouldn’t even be a question if his name wasn’t Ahmed Mohamed,” said CAIR spokesperson Alia Salem. “He is an excited kid who is very bright and wants to share it with his teachers.”

Following the outrage, Irving police said they considered the case closed, and they do not intend on filing charges against Ahmed Mohamed.

“Obviously, we will review this as we do high profile incidents of any nature, but it evolved as it did as a matter of safety and an abundance of caution. The Irving Police Department has always experienced an outstanding relationship with the Muslim community. We recognize situations like this present challenges, but we are committed to continuing to build a positive relationship,” police said, according to WTVR.

But the case may not be completely over. The Daily Beast claims the Texas police department may have violated Ahmed’s rights based upon the way he was treated after the arrest. Ahmed was taken in handcuffs to a juvenile detention center, where he was allegedly “fingerprinted and interrogated without his parents” being present.

According to Terri Burke, executive director of the Texas chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, this should never have occurred.

“If a child seeks to have a short conference with his parents, [the police] cannot deny them that. He has a right to talk to them. Kids don’t lose their rights because they’re kids or because they live in Texas,” she explained. “This is a region of the state that has had more than its share of Islamophobic incidents. I don’t want to paint with a broad brush, but I would suggest there needs to be some introspection.”

[Image via Twitter]

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