Texas teen’s clock, mistaken for bomb, retrieved from police

A 14-year-old Muslim boy arrested after a homemade clock he took to his Dallas-area school was mistaken for a possible bomb has gotten the item back as he and his family prepare to move to the Middle East.

Irving police said Reggie London, an attorney for Ahmed Mohamed, picked the clock up Friday. Police say the teen’s family was told Sept. 18 that the clock was ready for retrieval. Ahmed tweeted Friday: “GOT MY CLOCK BACK FINALLY!!”

Ahmed took the clock to his high school to show a teacher Sept. 14, but another teacher thought it could be a bomb. Police ultimately chose not to charge Ahmed with having a hoax bomb.

His family said Tuesday that they’d accepted a foundation’s officer to pay for his high school and college in Qatar and that the whole family would be moving there. He had visited Qatar during a whirlwind several weeks following the incident that even included a stop at the White House.

An attorney for Ahmed, Thomas Bowers, said Friday that he was “not sure” when the family would be leaving for the Middle East. Bowers nor London responded to calls from The Associated Press Saturday. A spokeswoman for Ahmed said Saturday there were no further comments.

The family told The Dallas Morning News that among their reasons for leaving were attacks they’ve faced since Mohamed became a celebrity. “There is a fear of all those comments.” Ahmed’s uncle, Aldean Mohamed, told the newspaper.

This story was originally published October 24, 2015 at 4:24 PM with the headline "Texas teen’s clock, mistaken for bomb, retrieved from police."