Authorities have apprehended an 18-year-old teenager, Christian Sturdivant, from North Carolina for devising a New Year’s Eve terror scheme in allegiance with the Islamic State group. Sturdivant intended to execute a mass-casualty assault utilizing knives and hammers at a grocery store and a fast-food outlet. The arrest transpired following the filing of a criminal complaint on December 31, 2025, which was unveiled subsequent to Sturdivant’s appearance in federal court in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi commended the collaborative effort between federal and local law enforcement, emphasizing that their intervention thwarted a potential catastrophic terrorist incident on New Year’s Eve. She underscored that individuals plotting such malevolent attacks will be met with the full extent of the law. FBI Director Kash Patel revealed that Sturdivant aspired to serve as a militant for ISIS and had devised plans to carry out a violent assault on New Year’s Eve in support of the terrorist organization, a plot intercepted by the FBI and its associates.
The arrest affidavit disclosed that on December 18, 2025, the FBI received intelligence indicating Sturdivant’s online dissemination of pro-ISIS content. Earlier in December, he allegedly shared an image featuring the text, “May Allah curse the cross worshipers,” aligning with ISIS ideology as per investigators. Sturdivant initiated communication on December 12 with an online covert operative he believed to be an ISIS member, expressing intentions of engaging in jihad imminently and identifying himself as “a soldier of the state.”
Sturdivant transmitted an image of two hammers and a knife on December 14, a significant act as per the Justice Department, citing an ISIS propaganda magazine from 2016 advocating the use of knives for terror activities in Western nations. Subsequently, on December 19, he sent a voice recording pledging loyalty to ISIS, pinpointing a specific grocery store in North Carolina as a target. The arrest affidavit further revealed his plans to procure a firearm to complement the knives during the assault.
During a search of his residence on December 29, handwritten notes were discovered, including a document titled “New Years Attack 2026,” outlining equipment such as a vest, mask, tactical gloves, and knives. The document detailed an objective of inflicting harm on as many civilians as feasible and included a section labeled “martyrdom op,” delineating strategies to confront responding law enforcement officers. Sturdivant is presently in federal custody and could face a maximum of 20 years in prison if convicted, with authorities emphasizing that the charges are allegations and he is presumed innocent.
