FBI arrests teenager on charges of planning New Year’s Eve ISIS attack
Washington: Authorities have arrested a teenager from North Carolina on charges of planning a New Year’s Eve terror attack in support of the Islamic State group, the US Justice Department said.
Investigators said Christian Sturdivant, 18, was arrested and charged after he planned to carry out a mass-casualty attack using knives and hammers at a grocery store and a fast-food restaurant. The criminal complaint was filed on December 31, 2025, and unsealed after Sturdivant appeared in federal court in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“This successful collaboration between federal and local law enforcement saved American lives from a horrific terrorist attack on New Year’s Eve,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said, adding that “anyone plotting to commit such depraved attacks will face the full force of the law.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said Sturdivant “allegedly wanted to be a soldier for ISIS and made plans to commit a violent attack on New Year’s Eve in support of that terrorist group, but the FBI and our partners put a stop to that.”
According to the arrest affidavit, the FBI received information on December 18, 2025, that Sturdivant was posting content supportive of ISIS on social media. Earlier in December, he allegedly shared an image with text reading, “May Allah curse the cross worshipers,” which investigators said was consistent with ISIS rhetoric.
The complaint alleges that Sturdivant began communicating on December 12 with an online covert employee he believed to be an ISIS member. He allegedly told the individual, “I will do jihad soon,” and described himself as “a soldier of the state.”
On December 14, he sent an image of two hammers and a knife. This is significant because an article in the 2016 issue of ISIS’s propaganda magazine promoted the use of knives to conduct terror attacks in Western countries, the Justice Department said.
On December 19, he allegedly sent a voice recording pledging “Bayat,” or loyalty, to ISIS. He later identified a specific grocery store in North Carolina as a target. He also told the undercover agent about his plans to purchase a firearm to use along with the knives during the attack, according to the arrest affidavit.
A search of his residence on December 29 uncovered handwritten notes, including one titled “New Years Attack 2026,” listing equipment such as a vest, mask, tactical gloves, and knives. The document allegedly described a goal of stabbing as many civilians as possible and included a section labeled “martyrdom op,” outlining plans to attack responding police officers.
Sturdivant remains in federal custody and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Authorities stressed that the charges are allegations and that he is presumed innocent.