IRVING, Texas - Police detained a 14-year-old Muslim boy in North Texas after a high school teacher decided that a homemade clock he brought to class could be a bomb.

Ahmed Mohamed, who enjoys tinkering with electronics, proudly took the clock to MacArthur High in Irving on Monday.

But one teacher raised concerns that it looked like a bomb, prompting the school principal and several police officers to question him, search his belongings and march him from the school in handcuffs.

Police don't believe the device is dangerous, but say it could be mistaken for a fake explosive.

I expect they will have more to say tomorrow, but Ahmed's sister asked me to share this photo. A NASA shirt! pic.twitter.com/nR4gt992gB

— Anil Dash (@anildash) September 16, 2015

Mohamed was suspended from school for three days, but he has not been charged. 

The Council on American-Islamic Relations is investigating, saying the incident is typical of the negative attitudes toward Muslims in Irving.

The story, originally posted by Dallas Morning News, has gone viral on social media. "#IstandwithAhmed" began trending on Twitter early Wednesday. Multiple celebrities, scientists and politicians tweeted their support for Ahmed including former Mythbusters star Grant Imahara and Democratic candidate for president Hillary Clinton. 

In a tweet posted Wednesday, Obama calls Ahmed Mohamed's clock "cool" and says more kids should be inspired like him to enjoy science, because "it's what makes America great."

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

Assumptions and fear don't keep us safe—they hold us back. Ahmed, stay curious and keep building. https://t.co/ywrlHUw3g1

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 16, 2015

My room looked exactly like his with soldering iron, computer, circuit boards. Some homemade, some cobbled together. #IStandWithAhmed

— Grant Imahara (@grantimahara) September 16, 2015