What we know about the alleged ISIS-inspired New Year’s Eve terror suspect

The fishy accused of plotting a New Year’s Eve onslaught connected a market store and fast-food edifice successful North Carolina worked astatine a Burger King and hid knives and hammers nether his bed, contempt his grandparents trying to unafraid the imaginable weapons, 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.   

"What we bash cognize is that the gramps secured the knives successful the home, secured the hammers, tried to marque definite that Mr. Sturdivant did not person them. And yet, erstwhile we executed the hunt warrant, they were recovered nether his bed," Ferguson told reporters astatine a property league connected Friday. 

Ferguson added that the onslaught was planned to instrumentality spot successful Mint Hill and the fishy worked astatine a Burger King.

FBI DISRUPTS ALLEGED ISIS-INSPIRED NEW YEAR'S EVE ATTACK PLOT TARGETING NC GROCERY STORE, FAST FOOD RESTAURANT

Christian Sturdivant, the 18-year-old fishy from Mint Hill, N.C., who is accused of plotting an onslaught connected New Year's Eve successful enactment of ISIS. (Gaston County Sheriff's Office)

"He was preparing for jihad, and guiltless radical were going to die. And we were very, precise fortunate they did not," Ferguson besides said, aboriginal adding, "I tin archer you from his notes helium was targeting Jews, Christians and LGBTQ individuals." 

James C. Barnacle, Jr., peculiar cause successful complaint of the FBI's Charlotte Field Office, said Friday that Sturdivant archetypal caught the bureau's attraction successful January 2022, erstwhile helium was inactive a juvenile. 

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Prosecutors said, "law enforcement seized from Sturdivant’s bedroom a blue hammer, a woody 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)

"He was successful interaction via societal media with an unidentified ISIS subordinate overseas. Sturdivant received absorption from this unidentified ISIS subordinate to formal successful each black, sound connected people's doors, and onslaught them with a hammer. In fact, Sturdivant did dress in each black. He near this location with a hammer, and fortunately his household stepped in," Barnacle continued. "No charges were filed astatine that time. He was referred for psychological care, and helium underwent intelligence care."

"Christian Sturdivant pledged his loyalty to ISIS and committed himself to perpetrate to sidesplitting Americans connected New Year's Eve," Barnacle added. 

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

"We bash person immoderate quality that helium was looking astatine a market store due to the fact that determination would beryllium a batch of radical there. He knew determination would beryllium a batch of people there grocery shopping... helium was looking for a high-profile place," Barnacle said. 

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"There's a couple grocery stores successful Mint Hill. He wasn't set connected conscionable one. He was looking astatine multiple, whichever 1 had the astir radical successful it."