A Texas teenager who was arrested after bringing a homemade clock to school will be at the White House on Monday to participate in an event promoting astronomy, but likely won’t meet with President Obama.
{mosads}Obama invited Ahmed Mohamed to Astronomy Night after his story attracted national attention last month.
“I don’t believe the president will have the opportunity to meet one on one with Ahmed Mohammad,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters. “There are several hundred people who are planning to participate in tonight’s festivities on the South Lawn.”
Mohamed and his family alleged that the ninth-grader was the subject of anti-Muslim bias when teachers mistook his clock for a bomb. Officials in Mohammed’s hometown of Irving, Texas denied those claims.
After the story went viral on social media, Obama tweeted an invitation for Ahmed to visit the White House to meet with NASA scientists and astronauts and bring the clock with him.
“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,” the president tweeted.
Mohamed reportedly will not bring the clock when he visits 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Earnest said he wasn’t aware of any request from the White House to leave the clock at home, adding that Mohamed will go through the same security screening process as all other guests.