What I hate is that the world is in such a place where this kind of reaction is even possible.
Yes. It's because we let the excrement of our species that actually do plant bombs and behead innocent people continue to thrive and spread like a virus. Better get used to it.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." - Edmund Burke
What some of you have failed to do is apply proper moral calculus. You have two possible outcomes.
1-Apologize to the parents and child for thinking his project may have been some sort of weapon or explosive device as a result of trying to ensure the safety of many lives.
2-Apologize to the parents of all the children who died when you failed to investigate a suspicious bomb looking device because you didn't want to hurt some kids feelings because you were sensitive to him having dark skin or being from a Muslim family.
The proper choice of any civilized and logical human being is #1. If anyone favors #2, I'll be happy to hear your supporting arguments. This is the real world, where real people live or die, you don't have time to mess around. This is why political correctness makes people stupid. Its value system is inherently superficial and meaningless.
If one believes they currently live in a world where there is not a large growing committed group of people whose only desire is to kill you for not being like them, I envy your powers of delusion.
Anyway, it's over. Kid gets to have a medal (probably Presidential Medal of Freedom or some such Obama trinket) and become a civil rights hero for a few weeks while doing cable TV interviews. Move along folks, nothing to see here.