FBI agents disrupted an alleged New Year’s Eve plot in North Carolina after investigators say an 18-year-old planned to carry out a mass-casualty attack at a grocery store and a fast food restaurant in support of the Islamic State, according to U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of North Carolina.
Federal prosecutors said Christian Sturdivant, of Mint Hill, was arrested and charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The criminal complaint was filed on Dec. 31, 2025, and unsealed Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, after Sturdivant appeared in federal court in Charlotte, the office said.
Investigators said the FBI received information on Dec. 18 that Sturdivant had made multiple social media posts supporting ISIS, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina. Authorities allege he began communicating in mid-December with an online covert employee he believed was an ISIS member, sent messages about conducting “jihad,” and shared an image showing hammers and a knife, the office said in a filing.
During a search warrant executed Dec. 29 at his home, agents said they found handwritten notes, including a document titled “New Years Attack 2026,” listing gear and two knives, and describing a goal of stabbing as many civilians as possible, with as many as 20 to 21 victims, according to the filing. Authorities also allege the notes included a plan to attack responding police in a “martyrdom” operation, the filing said.
Sturdivant remains in federal custody. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The charge is an allegation, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
