A North Carolina teen is accused of plotting a New Year’s Eve massacre inspired by ISIS—targeting ordinary Americans in a grocery store and fast food restaurant as part of what he allegedly called his “jihad.”
Federal agents arrested Christian Sturdivant, 18, of Mint Hill, just outside Charlotte, days before the planned attack. He’s charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, the Justice Department confirmed Friday.
“This was a deadly plan to kill innocent people as they shopped and ate dinner,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “Thanks to quick coordination between federal and local law enforcement, tragedy was prevented.”
Authorities say Sturdivant kept a chilling handwritten note titled “New Years Attack 2026”, recovered from beneath his bed. It listed tactical gear, knives, gloves, and a vest—alongside a disturbing goal: to stab as many civilians as possible, aiming for 20 victims.
He also included a “martyrdom op” section, allegedly planning to attack police responding to the scene so he could die as a “martyr.”
During the December 29 search of his home, investigators also seized two hammers, two butcher knives, and a tactical vest.
“This young man had fully embraced the idea of jihad,” Ferguson said. “He was targeting Jews, Christians, and LGBTQ individuals. Innocent people were going to die.”
The FBI says the teen had been chatting online with someone he believed was an ISIS member—but the contact was actually an undercover federal operative.
In messages sent in mid-December, Sturdivant allegedly declared, “I will do jihad soon,” and described himself as “a soldier of the state,” referring to ISIS. He also sent photos of the weapons he intended to use.
He reportedly planned to attack a grocery store and his workplace, a Burger King in Mint Hill, during New Year’s Eve celebrations.
FBI Director Kash Patel praised the operation: “This case shows the tireless work of our agents over the holidays. We stopped another attack before it could happen. There’s no doubt American lives were saved.”
Officials revealed this was not Sturdivant’s first brush with extremism. He was first flagged by the FBI as a juvenile in 2022 after communicating with an alleged ISIS recruiter overseas.
“The ISIS contact told him to wear black, knock on doors, and attack strangers with a hammer,” said James C. Barnacle Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Charlotte Field Office. “His family intervened, and he was referred for psychological treatment. Unfortunately, it didn’t stop the radicalization.”
In early December, Sturdivant allegedly posted an image showing two figurines of Jesus with the caption, “May Allah curse the cross worshipers,” echoing ISIS propaganda that calls for violence against Christians and nonbelievers.
According to prosecutors, the FBI’s Charlotte office received multiple tips about the posts, prompting an urgent investigation. “It’s another reminder,” Barnacle said, “that online radicalization can turn local and lethal very quickly.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi commended the “life-saving collaboration” between agencies: “The Department of Justice remains vigilant. Anyone plotting to harm innocent Americans in the name of ISIS will face the full weight of the law.”
Sturdivant is being held without bond. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
At a Friday press briefing, Barnacle issued a warning to parents and communities: “If your child, relative, or neighbor is sliding into extremist ideology, you’ll be the first to see it. Say something before it’s too late. Together, we can stop the next tragedy.”
The alleged plot comes amid what federal officials describe as a “resurgence of online jihadist propaganda” encouraging lone-wolf attacks during Western holidays. The FBI has disrupted at least seven domestic terror plots linked to ISIS or Al Qaeda sympathizers since the start of 2025.
A senior intelligence official told Fox News Digital that social media platforms remain “breeding grounds for extremist grooming,” despite past shutdowns of ISIS-linked accounts.
“Homegrown radicalization is the battlefield now,” the official said. “The threats are no longer overseas—they’re online, in our own communities.”
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He’s definitely not an individual who can ever have his brain brought back to something that will ever function within civilized society. Send him off to one of central America’s maximum security facilities where terrorists are sent. Don’t just stick him into a United States facility where taxpayers will have to support him for the rest of his useless life.