Ahmed met the president at a White House astronomy night
A Muslim teenager arrested after taking a homemade clock to school that was mistaken for a bomb has paid a visit to the White House.
Ahmed Mohamed took his clock to school in Arlington, Texas, to show his teacher what he had made but another teacher mistook it for a bomb and the school contacted the police.
Ahmed and his clock
The police took no action but the 14 year old was suspended from school for three days.
The case of the "clock kid" - Ahmed says he does not mind his nickname - shocked many Americans, including President Obama who tweeted: "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 schoolboy attended Astronomy Night at the White House where he met both the president, who was hosting the event to encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and NASA astronaut Alvin Drew.
Mr Obama told the crowd that NASA was developing the capabilities to send humans to Mars in the 2030s.
"That means some of the young people who are here tonight might be working on that project," the president said. "Some of you might be on your way to Mars. America can do anything."
The presidential trip is the culmination of a month of excitement for the teenager who has visited Google and Facebook among other major companies since the story became public.
Ahmed's family, who are originally from Sudan, are considering what to do with their boy for his continuing schooling and are mulling over several options.
He would eventually like to study engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology but needs to find another school after the family decided to withdraw him from the school at the centre of the dispute.
The advice the schoolboy said he would give to others would be: "Don't judge a person by the way they look. Always judge them by their heart."
Sky News
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