Scienceahmedahmed mohamed ahmed clock

Richard Dawkins Accuses Ahmed Mohamed Of Committing 'Fraud'

Dawkins thinks the teenager had a plan to go viral.
Paul Vale
|
Open Image Modal
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Richard Dawkins' dubious Twitter form underwent a further mutation on Sunday, with the author claiming Ahmed Mohamed, the 14-year-old Texas teenager arrested last week on suspicion of building a bomb, was guilty of "fraud."

The 74-year-old evolutionary biologist and noted atheist sent out a slew of tweets over the weekend chastising the ninth-grader for not even building a clock. Some observers have dissected the photo police handed out of the device Mohamed built, claiming he just shuffled around clock parts inside a pencil case.

Dawkins opened with these on Sunday morning:

Rebuttals followed:

Then this:

More rebuttals:

Yet Dawkins' ire remained fixed on Ahmed's claim he invented the device... and not the fact that a teenager was arrested for exploring rudimentary electronics.

Then a slight evolution in Dawkins' thinking:

Then this climbdown:

But Twitter was not having it:

Also on HuffPost:

Our 2024 Coverage Needs You

As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.

Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.

to keep our news free for all.

Support HuffPost
Suggest a correction
|
Submit a tip