Mint hill: The FBI unveiled on Friday the identity of the person accused of planning to carry out a "terror" attack inspired by ISIS on people inside a grocery store and fast-food restaurant in North Carolina on New Year's Eve. Christian Sturdivant is charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, US Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Russ Ferguson said.
According to Kuwait News Agency, Sturdivant, 18, of Mint Hill-a town outside Charlotte-was arrested and charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Prosecutors said the alleged plot was foiled after Sturdivant recently began communicating online with an individual he believed to be affiliated with ISIS but who was, in reality, a government online covert employee referred to in a criminal complaint as "OC." In one of the communications on December 14, Sturdivant allegedly sent the OC an image of two hammers and a knife.
"During his online communications with the OC, Sturdivant said, 'I will do jihad soon,' and proclaimed he was 'a soldier of the state,' meaning ISIS," the US Attorney's Office stated. "In subsequent online communications with the OC, Sturdivant indicated that he planned to attack a specific grocery store in North Carolina and discussed plans to purchase a firearm to use along with the knives during the attack," it added. Ferguson confirmed during a press conference on Friday that the attack was planned to take place in Mint Hill.
Ferguson further elaborated, "He talked about where he was planning to do this attack, which was at a grocery store and a fast food restaurant in Mint Hill. Places that we go every day and don't think that we may be harmed." He emphasized the gravity of the situation by stating, "He was preparing for jihad, and innocent people were going to die. And we were very, very fortunate they did not."
FBI Director Kash Patel praised the efforts of law enforcement in quickly identifying and neutralizing the threat. "The FBI and our partners continued working 24/7 over the holidays protecting the American people, and this case out of Charlotte foiling another alleged New Years Eve attacker is the latest example of their tremendous work," Patel noted in a statement. "Our teams quickly identified the threat and acted decisively-no doubt saving American lives in the process."
Attorney General Pam Bondi also commended the successful collaboration between federal and local law enforcement, highlighting that it saved American lives from a potential terrorist attack on New Year's Eve. "The Department of Justice remains vigilant in our pursuit of evil ISIS sympathizers-anyone plotting to commit such depraved attacks will face the full force of the law," she asserted.
Prosecutors revealed that a law enforcement search of Sturdivant's residence on December 29 uncovered various handwritten documents, one of which was titled "New Years Attack 2026," listing items such as a vest, mask, tactical gloves, and two knives allegedly intended for use in the attack. Sturdivant remains held in federal custody, and if convicted, he faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.