On Friday, January 2nd, the FBI announced it had foiled a terrorist attack planned for New Year’s Eve in North Carolina.
The FBI said the ISIS-inspired attack would have been carried out by 18-year-old Christian Sturdivant, who planned to attack a grocery store and a Burger King restaurant on New Year’s Eve in Mint Hill, a suburb on the outskirts of Charlotte. Sturdivant, who was an employee at Burger King, has been arrested and federally charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
During a search at the suspect’s home hammers, knives, tactical gloves and a kevlar vest were found, as well as a handwritten note saying he hoped to target non-Muslims, LGBT individuals, and law enforcement and military personnel. The note also said Sturdivant hoped he would die at the hands of police.
Sturdivant had been on the radar of the FBI since 2022, when he planned to kill a neighbour with a hammer and knife, but at the time he was stopped by his grandfather, and then underwent psychological care.
The thwarting of the plot was first announced by FBI Director Kash Patel on X, with Attorney General Pam Bondi confirming soon after that “successful collaboration between federal and local law enforcement saved American lives from a horrific terrorist attack on New Year’s Eve.”
