CHARLOTTE, N.C. (TNND) — The FBI announced on Friday that it thwarted a “potential terrorist attack” inspired by ISIS on New Year’s Eve in North Carolina.
Christian Sturdivant, 18, of Mint Hill, was arrested and charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. He faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison, but officials said the sentence will depend on several factors.
The bureau reported Sturdivant was allegedly planning to wear a Kevlar vest and use knives and hammers to attack people at a grocery store and fast food restaurant.
Sturdivant first came under the FBI radar in January 2022 when he was still a juvenile, according to the FBI. He was in contact on social media with an unidentified ISIS member overseas.
Special Agent in Charge James Barnacle explained that Sturdivant received direction from the unidentified ISIS member to dress in all black, knock on people’s doors and attack them with a hammer. He was allegedly stopped by his grandfather.
Following that attempt, Barnacle said he was referred for psychological care and reportedly no longer had access to social media, but a week before Christmas, the Charlotte Field Office learned it wasn’t true.
On Dec. 18, the FBI received information that a person on social media was making posts supporting ISIS and extremist ideology, officials detailed at a news conference. Sturdivant reportedly communicated on Dec. 12 to an undercover agent that he “will do jihad soon” and was a “soldier of the state.”
The criminal complaint alleges that Sturdivant sent the undercover agent a picture of two hammers and a knife, claiming he was planning to purchase a firearm to use in the potential act.
Additionally, Sturdivant allegedly sent the undercover agent a voice recording of Sturdivant pledging “Bayat,” a loyalty oath to ISIS.
When agents became aware of his messages, they said law enforcement used a warrant on Dec. 29 to search Sturdivant’s home and found handwritten papers, one labeled “New Years Attack 2026,” which listed a vest, mask, tactical gloves and knives. The plan, according to the FBI, described him wanting to stab as many people as possible, up to 20 to 21.
The note also included a section labeled as “martyrdom op,” describing a plan to attack police responding to the site of the attack so Sturdivant would die a martyr.
FBI thwarts potential NYE terrorist attack (FBI Charlotte){ }
“This investigation highlights the very real threat posed by people who self-radicalize online and are inspired by jihadist ideologies espoused by foreign terrorist organizations. They seek to attack soft targets with easily accessible weapons and with little to no warning,” Barnacle said. “To further complicate this threat, we have seen that most successful attackers radicalize in a time span between one and four years, and they typically mobilize to act in less than three months.”
Officials said he made his first appearance in court in Charlotte and is currently in federal custody, pending a hearing on Jan. 7.
Russ Ferguson, the United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, said it wasn’t Sturdivant’s intention to work alone, and he believed he was working directly with ISIS but was talking with two different undercover agents.
Several agencies were involved in apprehending Sturdivant, including the New York Police Department, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, Matthews Police Department, the Mint Hill Police Department and multiple federal agencies.
