At Least This Story Has A Happy Ending

[sp1814]

The lad was arrested because his school thought he'd brought a bomb onsite.

Turned out to be a clock he'd made.

Now he's been invited to the White House, and (according to the BBC Radio News just now) has had commendations from NASA and Mark Zuckerberg!

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/ahmed-mohamed-barack-obama-invites-detained-muslim-teenager-to-take-his-clock-to-the-white-house-10504277.html

A pity such vigilance isn't shown prior to the many school massacres over the past three decades, one might argue?

[mikey4444]

Usual daft story from the Land of the Free. ( free to be stupid)

I understand he was handcuffed and then interrogated by the Police, without his parents or a lawyer being present.

This lad is 14 years old for goodness sake ! How thick can the school and Police be, to allow this to happen ?

Only in America !

[Canary42]

Commended by Mark Zuckerberg (an American), commended by NASA (American agency) invited to the White House (by an American) - it's only his teachers and the police (hardly a fair representation of all Americans) who acted stupidly.

So quit the xenophobic sniping.

[Davemano]

In the light of what's happening in the world today, age makes no difference. Everybody is being wise after the event, but such precautions are necessary.

[bazwillrun]

Typical american over reaction...do i blame them no.....

[mikey4444]

What exactly is the age under which American Police would NOT handcuff a child ?

This could all have been sorted out by having a quite word with the boy, in the Head Teachers office, perhaps with the Science Master present.

I wonder if this boy hadn't have been a Muslim, it would ever have occurred ?

[Davemano]

Yes, we know that now, but as I said earlier AGE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT - handcuffs are used as a precaution, and as already said you are just being wise after the event and don't know the full circumstances which brought about the action. Would you have been so critical if this had been an explosives trigger - no, you would have cried incompetence. A decision had to be made on the spare of the moment as are all like incidents.