FBI disrupts alleged New Year’s Eve attack plot in North Carolina
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FIRST ON FOX – The FBI foiled an alleged plot to attack people at a North Carolina grocery store on New Year’s Eve in support of the Islamic State terrorist group, prosecutors said Friday.
Christian Sturdivant, 18, of Mint Hill, a town outside Charlotte, was arrested and charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, said Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
“The FBI and our partners continued to work 24/7 to protect the American people throughout the holidays, and this case of Charlotte allegedly foiling another New Year’s Eve attacker is the latest example of their tremendous work,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement to Fox News Digital. he said. “Our teams quickly identified the threat and took decisive action, undoubtedly saving American lives in the process. We thank our Joint Terrorism Task Force and our regional partners in both New York and Western North Carolina for their efforts.”
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Prosecutors said law enforcement officers seized “a blue hammer, a hammer with a wooden handle, and two butcher knives hidden under the defendant’s bed” in Sturdivant’s bedroom. At right is a note titled “New Year’s Eve Attack 2026” that prosecutors said law enforcement found during a Dec. 29, 2025, search of Sturdivant’s home in Mint Hill, North Carolina. (United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina)
Prosecutors said the alleged plot was thwarted when Sturdivant recently began communicating online with a person he “believed to be affiliated with ISIS but was actually an undercover online employee of the government,” referred to in the criminal complaint as “OC.” In one of the correspondences on December 14, Sturdivant allegedly sent OC a picture of two hammers and a knife.
“In online conversations with OC, Sturdivant said, ‘I will soon wage jihad,’ and declared himself a ‘soldier of the state,’ meaning ISIS,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
“In subsequent online conversations with OC, Sturdivant stated that he planned to attack a specific convenience store in North Carolina and discussed plans to purchase a firearm to use in conjunction with knives during the attack,” he added.
Prosecutors said a search of Sturdivant’s home by law enforcement on Dec. 29 uncovered several handwritten documents, one of which was titled “New Year Attack 2026” and “listed, among other things, items allegedly used in the attack, such as a vest, mask, tactical gloves and two knives.”
“The goal of stabbing as many civilians as possible was also listed and [the] The total number of victims was 20 to 21. The Prosecutor’s Office stated that the note also included a section called ‘Martyrdom Op’, which included a plan to attack the police who came to the scene of the attack so that the defendant would be martyred, and continued as follows: “In addition, law enforcement officers seized a blue hammer, a hammer with a wooden handle and two butcher knives hidden under the defendant’s bed from Sturdivant’s bedroom.”
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Law enforcement officers seized a target list from Sturdivant’s bedroom, as well as tactical gloves and a vest allegedly acquired as part of his planned attack. (United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina)
Prosecutors said Sturdivant will remain in federal custody and faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison if convicted.
James C. Barnacle, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Charlotte Field. “The FBI’s mission is to protect the American people, and this case demonstrates our commitment to doing everything we can to protect the residents of North Carolina. We worked closely with our partners at the Department of Justice, NYPD, Mint Hill Police Department, and the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force to investigate and thwart this serious threat of violent attack. We will never stop working to hold accountable the people who seek to harm and terrorize our communities.” Office.
Citing the criminal complaint, the prosecutor’s office said that on Dec. 18, the FBI in Charlotte “received information that an individual later identified as Sturdivant had made numerous social media posts in support of ISIS, which has been designated a foreign terrorist organization.”
According to court documents, Sturdivant allegedly posted a photo in early December showing two miniature Jesus figurines with the words “May God curse those who worship the cross” on the screen. (United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina)
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“In a social post in early December 2025, Sturdivant posted an image showing two miniature figurines of Jesus with text on the screen that read, ‘May God curse those who worship the cross.’ The prosecution alleged that the post was consistent with ISIS’s historic practice of calling for the destruction of all non-believers, including Christians and other Muslims who do not accept the terrorist organization’s extreme ideology.” He included his statements.
