The subject was directly inspired to act by ISIS, the FBI said. (Photo: Reuters)
The US Justice Department said on Friday it thwarted an alleged plan by a North Carolina man to carry out an ISIS-inspired attack using knives and hammers on New Year’s Eve.
18-year-old Christan Sturdivant from Mint Hill, North Carolina, was charged with providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, according to a Justice Department statement.
An FBI logo is pictured on an agent’s shirt in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US October 19, 2021. (Photo: REUTERS/Carlo Allegri)
Sturdivant who was arrested by federal agents on Wednesday has not yet entered a plea on the charges.
He remained held following an appearance before US District Judge Susan Rodriguez on Friday morning, pending a hearing on January 7.
FBI agents searching Sturdivant’s home found a handwritten document titled “New Year’s Attack 2026,” which allegedly discussed plans to stab up to 20 victims and attack responding police officers, according to the statement.
#BREAKING The #FBI and our law enforcement partners thwarted a potential terrorist attack on New Year's Eve in North Carolina. The subject was directly inspired to act by ISIS. The @USAO_WDNC and FBI Special Agent in Charge will announce details at an 11:30 am news conference in… pic.twitter.com/APsaKTdeuF
An FBI affidavit filed in the case said Sturdivant came under investigation last month following information that an account that officials say was later connected to Sturdivant had made social media posts supportive of ISIS.
The affidavit says Sturdivant had been on the FBI’s radar in January 2022, when he was a minor, after officials learned that he had been in contact with an ISIS member in Europe and had received instructions to dress in all black and commit attacks with a hammer.
Sturdivant did actually set out for a neighbor’s house armed with a hammer and a knife but was restrained by his grandfather, the affidavit says.
How New Year attack plan was uncovered
According to the FBI, Sturdivant came under investigation last month following information that a social media account, which officials connected to Sturdivant, had made posts supportive of IS.
Those included posts that depicted a ballistic vest and appeared to promote violence, the affidavit said, and the display name for the account referenced the name of the late IS leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
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Sturdivant began communicating on social media with someone who he thought was supportive of his plans but who was actually an undercover FBI employee, the affidavit said.
What FBI Director Kash Patel said
“The FBI and our partners continued working 24/7 over the holidays protecting the American people, and this case out of Charlotte foiling another alleged New Year’s Eve attacker is the latest example of their tremendous work,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement to Fox News.
“Our teams quickly identified the threat and acted decisively — no doubt saving American lives in the process. Thanks to our Joint Terrorism Task Force and regional partners, both in New York and Western North Carolina, for their efforts.”
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The subject was directly inspired to act by ISIS, the FBI said. (Photo: Reuters) 
