Family of "Clock Boy" Ahmed Mohamed Files Lawsuit Against Former School

^{Editor's note: This story has been updated throughout.}

Nearly one year after 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed was arrested for bringing a “suspicious-looking” homemade clock to class, his family has filed suit against his former Texas school district, the principal of the high school and the city of Irving.

The lawsuit filed Monday claims that Ahmed’s civil rights were violated in the incident that made the 9th grader go viral last September.

Accusations of racial and religious profiling fueled the hashtag #IStandWithAhmed. Even President Obama chimed in on Twitter, telling the boy: “We should inspire more kids like you to like science. It’s what makes America great.”

The charge — possession of a hoax bomb — was dropped, but MacArthur High School suspended Ahmed for three days.

[Read the full lawsuit]

Citing a pattern of disproportionate disciplinary actions for black students in the Irving Independent School District and a history of anti-Muslim sentiment in Irving, the lawsuit alleges that Ahmed was discriminated against based on his race and religion. It also claims his Fourth Amendment rights were violated when he was interrogated by police and principal Daniel Cummings for over an hour without the presence of his parents before he was arrested.

Ahmed’s family no longer lives in Texas. They moved to Qatar in October. But in June, they returned to Irving for summer vacation. That’s when they hired Hutchinson & Stoy, the Texas firm also representing a Baylor University student who claims the school ignored reports that she was raped by a football player.

Irving ISD issued a statement Monday saying its attorneys were reviewing the suit.

"Irving ISD continues to deny violating the student’s rights and will respond to claims in accordance with court rules," the statement said. "Because this matter is now in litigation, Irving ISD officials will have no further comment at this time."

The City of Irving also issued a statement Monday, saying it was "prepared to vigorously defend itself and the justifiable actions it took in this matter."

Although a previous demand letter from the family threatened to sue the city and the school district for a combined $15 million, no specific dollar amount in damages is named in this lawsuit.

“I lost a lot of things in my life,” Ahmed recently told The Washington Post. “The number one thing people think about me is that I’m living ‘the life’ . . . But I can’t build anymore. My dad doesn’t have a job anymore. I moved from my house to an apartment. I lost my place for building things. Over [in Qatar] it’s very boring, I can’t do anything. The only thing I can do is use the Internet.”

To read more about what it’s like to be a 14-year-old who went viral, check out this story on Ahmed’s first few days back in America.

Additional reporting by Isabelle Taft of The Texas Tribune.