FBI Director Kash Patel speaks during a press conference after two National Guard members were shot near the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 26, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo
(Mint Hill, North Carolina) – Federal authorities say they disrupted an alleged ISIS-inspired attack planned for New Year’s Eve that targeted civilians inside a grocery store in North Carolina, arresting an 18-year-old suspect just days before the holiday.
Prosecutors identified the suspect as Christian Sturdivant, 18, of Mint Hill, a town outside Charlotte. He is charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina.
Investigators say Sturdivant had been communicating online with someone he believed was affiliated with Islamic State, but who was in fact a government undercover employee. In those communications, Sturdivant allegedly declared “I will do jihad soon” and described himself as “a soldier of the state,” prosecutors said.
Authorities allege Sturdivant planned to carry out a knife and hammer attack inside a specific grocery store on New Year’s Eve, with the goal of stabbing as many civilians as possible. Court documents say a handwritten note titled “New Years Attack 2026” outlined plans to kill 20 to 21 victims and included a section labeled “martyrdom Op,” allegedly detailing plans to attack responding police officers.
During a search of Sturdivant’s residence on Dec. 29, law enforcement seized two butcher knives, two hammers, tactical gloves, a vest, and handwritten materials related to the alleged plot. Prosecutors also say Sturdivant discussed purchasing a firearm to use alongside the knives.
FBI Director Kash Patel credited rapid action by investigators for preventing the attack. “Our teams quickly identified the threat and acted decisively — no doubt saving American lives in the process,”
Patel said in a statement. He praised the work of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and local law enforcement partners.
According to court filings, the investigation began after the FBI received information that Sturdivant had been posting pro-ISIS content on social media, including material praising violence against non-believers. One post allegedly included the phrase “May Allah curse the cross worshipers,” which prosecutors say aligns with ISIS’s extremist ideology.
Sturdivant remains in federal custody. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison. Federal officials say the case underscores the continued threat posed by online radicalization and lone-actor terror plots — and the ongoing efforts by law enforcement to stop them before lives are lost.
