Sometimes we do get some good news. This is one of those times; on Friday, we learned from FBI Director Kash Patel that the FBI and law enforcement partners have foiled a planned, ISIS-inspired attack in North Carolina. Director Patel announced the plot and its interruption on his official X account:
The @FBI and partners foiled another potential New Year's Eve attack from an individual allegedly inspired by ISIS.@FBICharlotte will be speaking at a press conference shortly with more details.
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) January 2, 2026
Thanks to our great partners for working with us and undoubtedly saving lives.
As so often seems to be the case, the goblin who was reportedly planning the attack was taken in by a law-enforcement asset posing online as a person associated with the Islamic State:
Christian Sturdivant, 18, of Mint Hill — a town outside Charlotte — was arrested and charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Russ Ferguson 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 Years Eve attacker is the latest example of their tremendous work," FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "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."
Good work! Of course, the work goes more smoothly when, as would seem to be the case here, the accused terror attacker appears to be, to put it bluntly, not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. But then, that's often the case with these kinds of street-level attackers.
Prosecutors said the alleged plot was foiled after Sturdivant recently began communicating online with an individual he "believed to be affiliated with ISIS but in reality was a government online covert employee," who is referred to in a criminal complaint as "OC." In one of the communications on Dec. 14, Sturdivant allegedly sent the OC an image of two hammers and a knife.
"During his online communications with the OC, Sturdivant said, ‘I will do jihad soon,’ and proclaimed he was ‘a soldier of the state,’ meaning ISIS," the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
This isn't the first such goblin to have been caught because he was chatting with some online rando about his plans.
Read More: New Year, New Vigilance: National Guard Returns to Streets of New Orleans After Last Year's Attack
A local report from a reporter for North Carolina's WSOC TV reports that Sturdivant was planning to attack a grocery store and a local fast-food joint in the town of Mint Hill.
#NEW: A Mint Hill man is accused of planning to use knives and hammers to execute a deadly NYE attack at a grocery store and fast food restaurant.
— Hunter Sáenz (@Hunt_Saenz) January 2, 2026
Christian Sturdivant, 18, is the suspect
Finally, here is a look at the weapons that Sturdivant evidently planned to use.
— Ward Clark (@TheGreatLander) January 2, 2026
Now, with all that said, first, good job to the FBI and local law enforcement who smoked this guy out. But this case is a little unusual; this guy doesn't appear to be a recent immigrant from a majority-Muslim nation; no, this guy appears to be homegrown. And among the evidence taken was a handwritten note, which described two planned attacks, one in a Burger King and one in a grocery store. The note also indicated plans to attack first responders when they arrived, although attacking armed cops with a hammer and a knife probably wouldn't have worked out well. Sturdivant's note also indicated plans to target non-Muslims, "LGBTQ," capitalists, "Democracy, Republicanism," law enforcement, and military personnel.
Sturdivant had apparently been on the FBI's radar since at least 2022, when his grandfather reported having stopped Sturdivant from attacking a neighbor.
Note the targets described in the note, which include "non-Muslims" and "capitalists," as well as naming both political parties. This is a guess on my part, but this appears to be a person infected not only by radical Islam but by leftist ideology as well. That's a devil's brew that could have ended up in a tragedy if Sturdivant hadn't been headed off.
Sturdivant is now in federal custody. He could face as much as 20 years in prison if convicted.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned.
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