The family of Ahmed Mohamed, the teenager arrested after bringing a homemade clock to school in September, is demanding $15 million and several apologies, their lawyers announced Monday.
An attorney for the family wrote in letters published by the Dallas Morning News that they want $10 million in damages from the city of Irving, Texas, and $5 million from the local school district.
{mosads}”Ahmed’s reputation in the global community is permanently scarred,” read both letters to Texas officials, which were sent Monday and elaborated on details from the incident.
As many as seven adults interrogated the 14-year-old, who was pressured to sign a statement saying he intended to bring a “hoax bomb” to the school, according to the letters, which threaten a civil lawsuit if their demands are not met.
The family has also asked for a written apology from the city’s mayor and police chief for the incident, which drew international headlines and an outpouring of sympathy on social media.
Ahmed, who has relocated to Qatar with his family after accepting a scholarship, visited the White House last month for an astronomy event where he briefly met President Obama.
The family’s attorney said Monday in one of the letters that the family is living in Qatar “for personal security reasons” but wants relocate back to Texas “when they feel safe again.”