Ahmed Mohamed, who became known as “Clock Boy,” gained notoriety when he brought his homemade clock, which looked a great deal like a homemade bomb, to school in 2015.
Clock Boy is making headlines around the world again — this time for being featured in Inspire magazine, which is the jihadi recruiting magazine of al-Qeada in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
Inspire Magazine
In 2015, when Ahmed brought his clock to school, the police were called and Ahmed was removed from school. President Obama raced to Ahmed’s aid, pushing the narrative that he had been targeted for his ethnicity. President Obama tweeted in support of Ahmed, “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.”
Following a media frenzy, Ahmed was invited to the White House and praised by President Obama after a meeting.
Issue 15 of Inspire features photos of President Obama and Ahmed during their meeting, a photo of Ahmed’s “bomb” from school, and a photo of a 13-year-old boy and a 16-year-old supposedly targeted by Obama’s drone strikes, along with the saying: “is it a BOMB … is it a CLOCK or is it Obama’s CVE photo opp?”
The terrorist group even went as far as claiming that Ahmed inspired them: “Obama, ‘because of his sensitivity towards Muslim discrimination,’ sees an opp to further his PR by acknowledging a brilliant 14 yr old Muslim boy (who in fact even inspired us in a way).”
Within the pages of the magazine, there are instructions for making a parcel bomb, magnetic car bomb, and a trap door bomb. There is a photo of Syed Farook, the San Bernardino terrorist, alongside a pipe bomb.
According to PJ Media, the magazine also contains a “sticky note,” listing the dates of Memorial Day and Independence Day, as though scheduling those dates for terrorist attacks. “Confirmed — May 30, July 4,” it says, followed by two bullet points scratched out with a black pen and the footnote, “please burn after reading.”
The Inspire article also contains what could be an Election Day reference. “Hidden bomb, car bomb, pressure cooker, assassinations,” reads a checklist, followed by, “make your vote count.”
Following Ahmed’s trip to the White House last year, he and his family gained news attention again for his very public departure from the United States. According to the Washington Post, Ahmed’s family released a statement regarding their sudden move to Qatar, twenty-four hours after leaving the White House meeting with the president.
“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 (QF) for Ahmed to join the prestigious OF 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’s statement read.
After his departure from the U.S., Ahmed and his family brought a $15 million lawsuit against the city of Irvine, TX, and the school Ahmed attended.
His excitement about moving to Qatar was short-lived. After a couple of days in Qatar, Ahmed again was in the news because he was very homesick for the United States.
According to Breitbart News, “within days of demanding a total of $15 million from the City of Irving and the Irving Independent School District, ‘Clock Boy’ Ahmed Mohamed announced in a long distance phone interview from Qatar, he is homesick and wants to come home to Texas now.”