A potential terror attack inspired by ISIS was averted in North Carolina, according to authorities, who announced the arrest of a suspect on Friday. The individual, an 18-year-old identified as Christian Sturdivant, allegedly planned to target a grocery store and a fast-food restaurant in Mint Hill, a town located near Charlotte.
U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson revealed during a press conference that Sturdivant had been devising the attack for approximately a year. He reportedly intended to carry out the assault using knives and hammers. Upon executing a search warrant at his residence, the FBI discovered the weapons concealed beneath his bed, along with detailed notes outlining his attack plans.
The notes suggested that Sturdivant aimed to specifically target “Jews, Christians, and LGBTQ individuals,” Ferguson stated. An affidavit from an FBI agent indicated that the suspect’s grandfather, who serves as his legal guardian, is a Christian minister and works at a grocery store in Charlotte.
FBI Special Agent James Barnacle Jr., who leads the bureau’s field office in North Carolina, noted that the suspect, a U.S. citizen, had been monitoring various grocery stores in Mint Hill to identify which would be the most crowded on New Year’s Eve. “He knew there would be a lot of people there grocery shopping,” Barnacle remarked, adding that Sturdivant was in search of a “high-profile place” to execute his plan.
Authorities confirmed that the suspect was “directly inspired” by ISIS and believed he was acting alone. Investigators reported that he had discussed his attack plans with an undercover FBI agent whom he believed was affiliated with ISIS. “He was preparing for jihad, and innocent people were going to die,” Ferguson asserted.
Sturdivant reportedly had reached out to someone he thought was an ISIS member, who was in fact an undercover agent from the New York Police Department. He allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS and informed the agent that he intended to “do jihad soon.”
While employed at a Burger King, it remains unclear whether that location was among the intended targets. Barnacle explained that Sturdivant first attracted the attention of the FBI in January 2022 when he allegedly engaged in discussions on social media with an unidentified ISIS associate, who instructed him to dress in black and attack individuals with a hammer.
After this conversation, the suspect attempted to leave his home dressed in black, presumably planning to assault a neighbor with a hammer and knife. His grandfather intervened, managing to restrain him and bring him back inside. No charges were filed at that time, and the suspect received psychological care, leading to the closure of the FBI investigation.
Although the FBI was informed that Sturdivant no longer had access to social media, they discovered last month that he had resumed activity, including managing a TikTok account featuring posts in support of ISIS. The FBI sought to have him involuntarily committed for medical evaluation on Monday night, but a state magistrate refused the request. Barnacle confirmed that Sturdivant was arrested on New Year’s Eve as he was being discharged from a local medical facility.
Sturdivant made his first court appearance on Friday morning, where he was charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, facing a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
This announcement follows just weeks after authorities in Southern California charged four members of a far-left anti-government group for allegedly planning a series of bomb attacks on New Year’s Eve.
