Potential ISIS-inspired terror attack thwarted in North Carolina, teen arrested, officials say

A potential ISIS-inspired New Year’s Eve terrorist attack was foiled in North Carolina, authorities announced Friday. A suspect is in custody, accused of planning to attack a grocery store and fast food restaurant in the town of Mint Hill, located near Charlotte.

The 18-year-old suspect, identified as Christian Sturdivant, had been planning the attack for about a year, U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson said at a news conference.

He reportedly planned to use knives and hammers in this attack. When the FBI executed a search warrant at the suspect’s home, investigators found those weapons hidden under his bed along with notes detailing his alleged plans for the attack, Ferguson said.

The notes indicated the suspect wanted to target “Jews, Christians and LGBTQ people,” Ferguson said. According to an FBI agent’s affidavit filed in court, the suspect’s grandfather, who is his legal guardian, is a Christian pastor in Charlotte and works at a grocery store.

FBI Special Agent James Barnacle Jr., chief of the bureau’s North Carolina field office, said the suspect, who is a U.S. citizen, was monitoring several grocery stores in Mint Hill to try to determine which one would be busiest on New Year’s Eve.

“He knew there would be a lot of people there shopping,” Barnacle said. He also said the suspect was “looking for a high-profile position.”

The local office said the suspect was “directly inspired” by ISIS. Investigators believe he worked alone, Ferguson said.

According to investigators, the suspect discussed his attack plans with an undercover FBI agent he believed to be involved with ISIS.

“He was preparing for jihad and innocent people were going to die,” Ferguson said.

The suspect reportedly earlier contacted someone he thought was an ISIS member, but who was actually an undercover NYPD officer. The suspect allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS and told the undercover agent he planned to “wage jihad soon,” Ferguson said.

The suspect worked at a Burger King, but the U.S. Attorney did not say whether that restaurant was the target of the alleged plot.

Barnacle said Sturdivant first appeared on the FBI’s radar in January 2022 when he was allegedly in contact on social media with an unidentified ISIS member who told him to dress in black, knock on people’s doors and attack them with a hammer, Barnacle said.

Following the alleged conversation, the suspect left his home dressed in black, apparently intending to kill one of his neighbors with a hammer and a knife, according to the FBI agent’s affidavit. The suspect’s grandfather was able to subdue his grandson and bring him home, according to the affidavit.

No charges were filed in the incident and the suspect received psychological treatment, Barnacle said. The FBI closed its investigation into the teen when he began receiving treatment.

When asked why the suspect was not charged in the earlier incident, Ferguson pointed out that he was a 14-year-old juvenile at the time. “I think we’re very lucky that he’s 18 now, because it makes prosecution a lot easier,” he said.

The FBI learned he no longer had access to social media, but the Charlotte field office learned last month that he was back on social media, Barnacle said. The suspect was identified as the alleged owner of a TikTok account with several posts in support of ISIS.

The suspect’s grandparents did not appear to be aware of the social media posts, Ferguson said. However, the suspect’s grandfather attempted to secure the knives and hammers in the house so the suspect could not access them.

The FBI attempted to have the suspect involuntarily committed for medical treatment Monday night, but a state magistrate denied the request, Ferguson said. Barnacle said the FBI arrested him on New Year’s Eve as he was leaving a local medical facility.

Sturdivant made his first appearance in federal court Friday morning, Ferguson said. He was charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Additional charges could be filed as the investigation unfolds, Ferguson said.

Friday’s announcement comes less than three weeks after Southern California officials charged four members of a far-left anti-government group for allegedly planning a series of bombings on New Year’s Eve.