The FBI announced it prevented a potential attack in support of the Islamic State terrorist group on New Year’s Eve in North Carolina.
The bureau said Christian Sturdivant, 18, of Mint Hill, a town outside Charlotte, was plotting to kill people inside a grocery store and fast food restaurant.
He 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 at a Friday news conference.
The suspect was “allegedly inspired by ISIS,” FBI Director Kash Patel said on social media, adding that the operation “undoubtedly” saved lives.
In mid-December, the FBI received information that a person was making social media posts supporting ISIS and extremist ideology.
The FBI in Charlotte received information that an individual, later identified as Mr. Sturdivant, was making multiple social media posts in support of ISIS. One posted image depicted two miniature figurines of Jesus with the on-screen text that read, “May Allah curse the cross worshipers.”
The post is allegedly consistent with ISIS’s rhetoric that calls for the extermination of all non-believers, according to the arrest affidavit.
Mr. Sturdivant had planned the attack for a year, with no intention of working alone, Mr. Ferguson said, adding that while the teen is believed to have been working directly with ISIS, he was talking to an undercover agent.
In December, Mr. Sturdivant began communicating with an online covert employee whom he thought was an ISIS member. He sent the undercover agent a picture of two hammers and a knife, and said he planned to buy a firearm for an attack on a specific grocery store.
“Now more than ever, partnerships between law enforcement agencies are paramount,” said Chief Joseph Hatley of the Mint Hill Police Department. “This disruption is a testament to all involved, working as one to thwart an attack and hold accountable anyone planning such a horrific act of violence against our community.”
Mr. Sturdivant is in federal custody and made his first court appearance in Charlotte. If convicted, he faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, prosecutors said.
“This successful collaboration between federal and local law enforcement saved American lives from a horrific terrorist attack on New Year’s Eve,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a social media post. “The Department of Justice remains vigilant in our pursuit of evil ISIS sympathizers — anyone plotting to commit such depraved attacks will face the full force of the law.”
