Federal authorities in the United States say they prevented a potentially deadly terrorist attack planned for New Year’s Eve 2025 after arresting an 18-year-old North Carolina resident, Christian Sturdivant. Investigators allege that Sturdivant spent nearly a year preparing an ISIS-inspired assault targeting civilians in the suburban town of Mint Hill, using knives and blunt weapons in crowded public spaces.
The case has drawn national attention not only because of the nature of the alleged plot, but also because Sturdivant had been on the FBI’s radar since he was a minor, raising questions about long-term monitoring, radicalisation pathways, and the challenges of preventing lone-actor terrorism. Court filings, law enforcement statements, and reporting from multiple outlets outline a detailed picture of how the alleged plan developed and how authorities intervened days before the intended attack.
Background and early encounters with law enforcement
Christian Sturdivant is an 18-year-old who lived in Mint Hill, a suburban community spanning southeastern Mecklenburg County and northwestern Union County in North Carolina. According to reporting cited by the Wall Street Journal, he was employed at a Burger King restaurant, one of the locations he allegedly planned to target. While little is publicly known about his personal life beyond these details, investigators say his name was familiar to federal authorities long before his arrest in late December 2025.
The FBI first opened an investigation into Sturdivant in 2022, when he was just 14 years old. At that time, agents say he had been communicating on social media with an unidentified individual overseas who presented himself as a member of the Islamic State. According to an FBI affidavit and statements later quoted by FOX News, the person allegedly instructed Sturdivant to dress in all black, knock on people’s doors, and attack them with a hammer. Investigators claim that Christian Sturdivant followed those instructions closely, leaving his house dressed in black and carrying a hammer and knife.
That incident did not end in violence. According to law enforcement accounts, Sturdivant’s grandfather, who worked at a grocery store, intervened and brought him back inside the home before anyone was harmed. No criminal charges were filed at the time, and authorities instead referred the teenager for psychological care. Officials later stated that Christian Sturdivant appeared to disengage from extremist activity online for a period, leading investigators to believe that the immediate threat had subsided.
Read : 7 Fruits to Brighten Your Vision: A Feast for Healthy Eyesight
However, the early encounter remained significant in hindsight. Federal officials now describe it as an early warning sign of violent extremist ideation that resurfaced several years later. The Justice Department has said that after nearly four years with no apparent escalation, the FBI received new information in mid-December 2025 indicating that Christian Sturdivant had again begun posting pro–Islamic State content online. This development prompted renewed scrutiny and ultimately led to the undercover operation that authorities say disrupted his alleged New Year’s Eve plot.
The alleged New Year’s Eve attack plan
According to court documents and public statements by law enforcement, Sturdivant’s alleged plan was both detailed and deliberate. Investigators say he intended to carry out a mass-casualty attack on December 31, 2025, targeting a grocery store and a fast-food restaurant in Mint Hill. The weapons, they allege, were deliberately simple: knives and hammers. Officials have stated that he viewed these tools as easily accessible and effective in crowded civilian settings.
Federal agents say Christian Sturdivant was in contact with individuals he believed to be members of ISIS but who were, in reality, undercover officers from the FBI and the New York Police Department. During these communications in mid-December, he allegedly pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and told the undercover operatives that he planned to “do jihad soon,” language that investigators say aligned with propaganda and directives commonly associated with ISIS-inspired lone-actor attacks.
As part of these exchanges, Sturdivant reportedly sent an image showing two hammers and a knife to the undercover officer. According to the FBI affidavit cited by the Wall Street Journal, he also discussed his intention to use both knives and blunt weapons during the attack. At one point, investigators say, he expressed a desire to obtain firearms and indicated he was willing to pay for them, though there is no public indication that he succeeded in acquiring guns.
Authorities say the seriousness of the threat became clearer on December 29, when they executed a search of Sturdivant’s home. During that search, agents recovered two hammers and two butcher knives from beneath his bed, along with tactical gloves and a vest. Perhaps most alarming, officials said they found a handwritten document titled “The New Year’s Attack 2026.” According to prosecutors, the note outlined his intention to stab as many civilians as possible and suggested he expected to kill at least 11 people before being shot and killed by police.
At a press conference, US Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Russ Ferguson said the contents of the notes indicated that Sturdivant was motivated by extremist ideology and had identified specific groups as targets. Ferguson stated that the notes referenced Jews, Christians, and LGBTQ individuals, underscoring investigators’ belief that the alleged plan was ideologically driven rather than impulsive. He also confirmed that authorities believe Sturdivant had been preparing for the attack for approximately a year.
Investigation, arrest, and charges
Once federal authorities concluded that Sturdivant posed an imminent threat, they moved to prevent any possibility of an attack occurring before New Year’s Eve. According to Ferguson, the FBI placed Sturdivant under constant surveillance for several days, including over the Christmas period, out of concern that he might act earlier than planned. That surveillance culminated in his arrest before December 31, effectively ending what officials describe as an advanced-stage plot.
Following his arrest, prosecutors charged Sturdivant with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organisation, specifically the Islamic State. This charge is commonly used in cases involving individuals who attempt to assist, align with, or act on behalf of designated terrorist groups, even when no direct contact with senior leadership can be established. If convicted, Sturdivant faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both.
In announcing the arrest, FBI Director Kash Patel said the case demonstrated the continued threat posed by individuals inspired by foreign terrorist organisations, even when they operate alone and rely on rudimentary weapons. He stated that the FBI and its partners had “foiled another potential New Year’s Eve attack from an individual allegedly inspired by ISIS,” a remark later quoted by the Wall Street Journal.
Law enforcement officials have emphasised that the case highlights both the persistence of online radicalisation and the difficulties of assessing long-term risk, particularly when individuals first come to authorities’ attention as minors. Sturdivant’s earlier encounter with the FBI in 2022, followed by years of apparent inactivity, has become a central element of public discussion around the case. Officials have said that at the time, intervention focused on mental health support rather than prosecution, a decision consistent with his age and the absence of completed violence.
Sturdivant remains in federal custody as he awaits his next court appearance. Prosecutors have indicated that they will rely heavily on digital communications, the handwritten planning document, and physical evidence recovered from his home to support the charge. While the legal process is ongoing, authorities maintain that the arrest prevented a potentially deadly attack on civilians during one of the busiest nights of the year.
The case of Christian Sturdivant offers a stark illustration of how extremist ideology can resurface over time and how law enforcement agencies attempt to balance early intervention with civil liberties and mental health considerations. As federal prosecutors move forward, the focus will remain on whether the evidence meets the legal threshold for conviction and what the case may signal about future strategies to counter ISIS-inspired threats within the United States.