Moving on. Ahmed Mohamed, the 14-year-old who made headlines in September after being arrested for bringing a homemade clock to school, is moving out of the country, his family announced on Tuesday, Oct. 20.
“After careful consideration of all the generous offers received, we would like to announce that we have accepted a kind offer from Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development for Ahmed to join the prestigious QF Young Innovators Program, which reflects the organization’s on-going dedication to empowering young people and fostering a culture of innovation and creativity,” the family said in a statement.
Mohamed’s story was picked up by numerous news outlets after the Muslim teen was handcuffed and accused of bringing a bomb — his homemade clock — to his Irving, Texas, school. Many high-profile names came forward to defend and encourage the creative young man, including Mark Zuckerberg, President Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton.
All the attention has just made Ahmed step up.
“It’s like now he’s motivated to work harder than ever before,” his 19-year-old sister, Eyman, told The Washington Post on Tuesday. “Because people are going to be waiting to see what happened to that 14-year-old kid.”
For now, Ahmed is just enjoying the opportunities presented to him. On Monday, the innovative teen met the president while attending the White House’s Astronomy Night.
“It was amazing and a honor meeting #President #Obama!!! #YOY #THEWHITEHOUSE,” he tweeted along with a photo of himself hugging the president.
He also shared the photo on Instagram, writing, “So happy! I can’t believe I met the President of the United States!”
Obama had personally invited Ahmed to the White House after the teen was arrested. Irving police later said they would not be charging the young man with any crime.
