US Muslim teen accused of clock-bomb to move to Qatar

Ahmed Mohamed, a 14-year-old student from Irving, Texas, was arrested after he brought a homemade clock to his high school to show his teachers and was later accused of having a bomb. Michael Reynolds / EPAShow less

Chicago // The Muslim teenager arrested when a Texas teacher mistook his homemade clock for a bomb is moving to Qatar, US media reported a day after Ahmed Mohamed visited the White House.

Mohamed, 14, became an overnight sensation after his sister tweeted a photo of the aspiring inventor standing in handcuffs while wearing a t-shirt with the US space agency Nasa’s logo last month.

His family was overwhelmed by offers to support Mohamed's education and decided to move to Qatar after receiving a full scholarship for his secondary and undergraduate education, his father told the Dallas Morning News.

The son of Sudanese immigrants who live in a Dallas suburb, the young robotics fan brought in a homemade clock to impress a new teacher at MacArthur High School.

Instead, he was accused of trying to scare people with a hoax bomb and was escorted from the school in handcuffs.

President Barack Obama joined a surge of public support by congratulating the teen on his skills, in what was seen as a pointed rebuke to school and police officials amid accusations of Islamophobia.

“Cool clock, Ahmed. Want to bring it to the White House? We should inspire more kids like you to like science. It’s what makes America great,” Mr Obama tweeted soon after the incident.

Invitations poured in from Facebook, Google, the United Nations and in the coming weeks Mohamed tweeted photos of visits to New York, Sudan, Qatar and Mecca.

On Monday night, Mohamed joined a group of students, teachers, scientists, astronauts and celebrities – including the “Myth Busters” and Bill Nye – for White House astronomy night.

“So happy, I can’t believe that I met the #president of the #unitedstates!!!” he tweeted, in all caps, alongside a photo which showed Mr Obama hugging Mohamed.

Mohamed will join the Qatar Foundation’s Young Innovators Programme, which he visited earlier this month.

"Qatar was a cool place to visit," he said in a statement released to the Dallas Morning News Tuesday. "The teachers were great. I think I will learn a lot and have fun too."

* Agence France-Presse