A suspect estimated to be about 18 years old was arrested on New Year’s Eve after about a year of planning to launch a terrorist attack using knives and hammers. Federal prosecutors and FBI officials say a plan concocted by the alleged assailant was foiled before anyone was harmed. The alleged assailant was arrested in a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina.
Charges against Christian Sturdivant involve attempts to provide aid to terrorist organizations abroad. This is according to Russ Ferguson of the US Attorney’s Office. He made the remarks at the press conference on Friday alongside agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
FBI Disrupts Alleged New Year’s Eve Attack, Man Charged with Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS https://t.co/AjolJrgdxd pic.twitter.com/uzdGzHHH7B
— FBI (@FBI) January 2, 2026
Who was Christian Sturdivant communicating with online?
According to the authorities, Sturdivant believed he was interacting with someone from ISIS, which stands for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and is designated as a terrorist organization. In truth, Sturdivant was interacting with an under-cover officer from the New York City Police Department. Sturdivant was arrested while leaving a medical facility when he was about to be released.
Though he planned to perpetrate the act on New Year’s eve, it had not been linked to an actual public function.
At the moment, Sturdivant is being held at Gaston County Jail on federal hold. Sturdivant faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years in prison if convicted. Sturdivant was seen in court on Friday, with the next court date on January 7.
How did authorities describe the thwarted attack?
“This successful collaboration between federal and local law enforcement saved American lives from a horrific terrorist attack on New Year’s Eve,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. FBI Director Kash Patel added, “The accused allegedly wanted to be a soldier for ISIS and made plans to commit a violent attack, but the FBI and our partners put a stop to that.”
Is this part of a larger trend of New Year’s Eve terror plots?
There seems to be at least the second known thwarted plot during the holiday period. In the Los Angeles area, the FBI has arrested four individuals who planned to use a bomb on New Year’s Eve.
What evidence did the FBI uncover against Sturdivant?
Authorities have reported other postings made by Sturdivant in support of ISIS, including in December of 2025 in which he posted an image of small Jesus statues accompanied by the statement, “May Allah curse the cross worshipers.”
Interviews with two of the undercover operatives indicated Sturdivant decided to attack the local grocery and fast food establishment in the suburb of the greater Charlotte area known as Mint Hill, which was over 10 miles from the city.
During a search conducted at his home, Knapp was discovered to have containers filled with knives and hammers under his bed, notes related to the plan he had constructed, as well as a hit list which detailed information regarding clothing he intended to wear during the attack.
Who was targeted in Sturdivant’s alleged manifesto?
Based on a manifesto titled “New Years Attack 2026,” Sturdivant intended to target Jews, Christians, and members of the LGBTQ community with the aim of stabbing “as many civilians as possible,” according to an investigation by law enforcement agents. The section highlighted “martyrdom op” intended to target officers from the responding law enforcement with the aim of becoming a martyr.
Ferguson said the plot was “very well planned” but assured that the lives of innocent people were in danger, and authorities were lucky the plot was foiled.
How long has the FBI been aware of Sturdivant?
The FBI originally flagged Sturdivant in January 2022, when he was 14 years old, for online interactions with an overseas member of ISIS. He had been instructed to wear black and kill people with a hammer—a plot that was foiled when a family member intervened. He was not charged, but was mandated to receive mental health treatment and ordered offline from all social media platforms.
A week prior to Christmas in 2025, the Charlotte office of the FBI caught Sturdivant making pro-ISIS videos on TikTok that he had been uploading to the website as a pseudonym that was traced back to him, which instigated a two-week investigation that led to his arrest on New Year’s Eve.
“The FBI’s message is clear — anyone who supports ISIS or other terrorist groups cannot hide and will be held accountable,” Patel said. The case underscores the importance of collaboration between federal and local law enforcement in preventing attacks on US soil.
How did US authorities prevent another holiday terror plot in New Jersey?
Earlier this month, the FBI also foiled another terror-related plot in New Jersey, as it arrested a 20-year-old suspect who was planning an assault on a local shopping mall with firearms and homemade explosives. As per the US Attorney’s Office, the suspect had been in touch with an FBI undercover agent posing as a foreign terrorist group member and had even drawn up plans for attacking non-combatant civilians during the holiday season.
The quick response and cooperation between local and federal law enforcement officials have averted what could have easily turned out to be a very fatal attack and have proved and continue to prove the alertness and vigilance shown and maintained by law enforcers in America.
