FBI disrupts alleged ISIS-inspired New Year’s Eve attack plot targeting NC grocery store

FIRST ON FOX – The FBI disrupted an alleged crippled to onslaught people inside a market store successful North Carolina connected New Year’s Eve successful enactment of the Islamic State violent group, prosecutors revealed Friday. 

Christian Sturdivant, 18, of Mint Hill — a municipality extracurricular Charlotte — was arrested and charged with attempting to supply worldly enactment to a overseas violent organization, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Russ Ferguson said. 

"The FBI and our partners continued moving 24/7 implicit the holidays protecting the American people, and this lawsuit retired of Charlotte foiling different alleged New Years Eve attacker is the latest illustration of their tremendous work," FBI Director Kash Patel said successful a connection to Fox News Digital. "Our teams rapidly identified the menace and acted decisively — nary uncertainty redeeming American lives successful the process. Thanks to our Joint Terrorism Task Force and determination partners some successful New York and Western North Carolina for their efforts." 

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Prosecutors said instrumentality enforcement seized from Sturdivant’s bedroom "a blue hammer, a wooden-handled hammer, and 2 butcher knives hidden underneath the defendant’s bed." On the close is simply a enactment titled, "New Years Attack 2026," that prosecutors said instrumentality enforcement recovered during a Dec. 29, 2025 hunt of Sturdivant’s residence successful Mint Hill, N.C. (United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina)

Prosecutors said the alleged crippled was foiled aft Sturdivant precocious began communicating online with an idiosyncratic helium "believed to beryllium affiliated with ISIS but successful world was a authorities online covert employee," who is referred to successful a transgression ailment arsenic "OC." In 1 of the communications connected Dec. 14, Sturdivant allegedly sent the OC an representation of 2 hammers and a knife.

"During his online communications with the OC, Sturdivant said, ‘I volition bash jihad soon,’ and proclaimed helium was ‘a worker of the state,’ meaning ISIS," the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. 

"In subsequent online communications with the OC, Sturdivant indicated that helium planned to onslaught a circumstantial market store successful North Carolina and discussed plans to purchase a firearm to usage on with the knives during the attack," it added. 

Prosecutors said a instrumentality enforcement hunt of Sturdivant’s residence connected Dec. 29 uncovered assorted handwritten documents, 1 of which was titled "New Years Attack 2026," and "listed, among different things, items specified arsenic a vest, mask, tactical gloves, and 2 knives allegedly to beryllium utilized successful the attack."

"It besides listed a extremity of stabbing arsenic galore civilians arsenic imaginable and [the] total number of victims arsenic 20 to 21. The enactment besides included a conception listed arsenic ‘martyrdom Op,’ with a program to onslaught constabulary that arrived astatine the tract of the onslaught truthful the suspect would die a martyr," the Attorney’s Office continued. "In addition, instrumentality enforcement seized from Sturdivant’s bedroom a blue hammer, a woody handled hammer, and 2 butcher knives hidden underneath the defendant’s bed." 

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Law enforcement seized from Sturdivant’s chamber a database of targets, arsenic good arsenic tactical gloves and a vest allegedly acquired arsenic portion of his planned attack. (United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina)

Sturdivant remains held successful national custody, and if convicted, he faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years successful national prison, prosecutors said.

"The FBI's ngo is to support the American people, and this lawsuit demonstrates our dedication to bash everything we tin to support the residents of North Carolina. We worked intimately with the Department of Justice, NYPD, Mint Hill Police Department, and our FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force partners to analyse and disrupt this superior menace of a convulsive attack. We volition ne'er halt moving to clasp radical accountable who question to harm and terrorize our community," said James C. Barnacle, Jr., Special Agent successful Charge of the FBI's Charlotte Field Office.

The Attorney’s Office, citing the transgression complaint, said connected Dec. 18, the FBI successful Charlotte "received accusation that an idiosyncratic aboriginal identified arsenic Sturdivant was making aggregate societal media posts successful enactment of ISIS, a designated overseas violent organization." 

Sturdivant allegedly posted an representation successful aboriginal December depicting 2 miniature figurines of Jesus with the on-screen substance that included "May Allah curse the transverse worshipers," according to tribunal documents. (United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina)

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"In 1 societal station successful aboriginal December 2025, Sturdivant posted an representation depicting 2 miniature figurines of Jesus with the on-screen substance that included ‘May Allah curse the transverse worshipers.’ The station is allegedly accordant with ISIS historical signifier calling for the extermination of each non-believers, including Christians and different Muslims who bash not hold with the violent organization’s utmost ideology," the Attorney’s Office added.