Ahmed Mohamed, who came to be known as the “Clock Boy" after he was arrested at his high school in an incident in September, got to meet President Obama after all on Monday night during the White House's "Astronomy Night" celebration.
SO HAPPY, I CANT BELIEVE THAT I MET THE #president of THE #UNITEDSTATES!!! A photo posted by Ahmed Mohamed (@official_istandforahmed) on Oct 20, 2015 at 9:58am PDT
Earlier in the day, it appeared that the two wouldn't get a chance to meet, according to White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest. But cameras caught the two exchanging a few words during the events surrounding "Astronomy Night."
Obama will not meet Ahmed Mohamed when he comes to the White House reveals @pressec but still reporter asks if there are "security concerns"— Dan Roberts (@RobertsDan) October 19, 2015
Obama had initially invited Ahmed to join him at the White House after the student was arrested at his Dallas-area high school when a teacher mistook Ahmed's homemade clock for a bomb. The teenager than experienced a groundswell of support from the likes of the president, Google cofounder Sergey Brin and NASA.
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.— President Obama (@POTUS) September 16, 2015
But Ahmed's story took an odd turn when he and his family met with met Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir last week in Khartoum. The leader is currently wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Darfur. (Ahmed's father is Sudanese and once ran for president against al-Bashir.)
Elsewhere, science "celebrities" like Bill Nye and the Mythbusters mingled with students and politicos alike, all sharing their love of astronomy.
Bill Nye poses for selfies at #AstronomyNight at the #WhiteHouse pic.twitter.com/pdx3w3cCQE— Elissa Nadworny (@ElissaNadworny) October 19, 2015
Just another day at the office... Of @POTUS #astronomynight pic.twitter.com/FNlGcKp6BK— MythBusters (@MythBusters) October 19, 2015
President Obama kicked off the night with a short speech in which he joked, “This is some of the most fun I have on this job… When you guys come, I get to have some fun."
Earlier in the day, Obama even chatted with the astronauts on board the International Space Station.
I got a chance to catch up with the @Space_Station crew today. Nothing like a call to space on #AstronomyNight! https://t.co/JVLzYDQ8Jo— President Obama (@POTUS) October 20, 2015