Famed Atheist: The 'Clock Kid' Is a Fraud

Richard Dawkins lays into 14-year-old kid
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 20, 2015 5:19 PM CDT
Famed Atheist: The 'Clock Kid' Is a Fraud
Ahmed Mohamed, 14, gestures as he arrives to his family's home in Irving, Texas, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015.   (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Think the "clock kid" has a friend in famed atheist Richard Dawkins? Seems not: Ahmed Mohamed, 14, who was arrested in Texas when authorities thought he'd built a bomb instead of a clock, perpetrated "fraud" and perhaps "wanted to be arrested," tweeted Dawkins today. Here's some of the tweet flow, per Gawker and the Huffington Post:

From Dawkins:

  • @I_Love_Atheism "Because he disassembled & reassembled a clock (which is fine) & then claimed it was his 'invention' (which is fraud)."—Richard Dawkins
  • @HarryStopes "I don't know. Possibly wanted to be arrested? Police played into his hands? Anyway, now invited to White House, crowdfunded etc"—Richard Dawkins

From others:

  • "Richard, you're missing the point a little here."—Bang the Bore
  • "fraud? That's a very emotive word to apply to a young child who is enthusiastic about engineering."—Matt Bradley
  • "He's an enthusiastic fourteen year [old] and you, a grown man and public figure, are trashing him on the internet for 'fraud'"—Jon
  • "remember when you were a scientist instead of a twitter crank...those were better days"—Physically, I'll

Then Dawkins seemed to cool off:
  • "Sorry if I go a bit over the top in my passion for truth. Not just over a boy's alleged 'invention' but also media lies about J Corbyn."—Richard Dawkins

But the Twitter-verse was unimpressed:
(Read more atheists stories.)

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