On January 2, 2014, Mohamed was arrested in his home in the city of Nouadhibou. He was charged with apostasy under Article 306 of the Mauritanian criminal code, and sentenced to death. There were national demonstrations against Mohamed, and there was a fatwa to kill him. His family denounced him. His lawyers dropped him and he could not get another lawyer, only the lawyers assigned by the court. The trial started a day late because of a fight in the courtroom. The prosecuting lawyer said he was a member of the caste that the blogger criticized in his article. Mohamed belongs to a lower social class.