An 18-year-old has been charged with planning an attack inspired by ISIS at a fast food restaurant and grocery store in North Carolina, according to the FBI and the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Christian Sturdivant, from Mint Hill, was charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Prosecutors stated that Sturdivant was targeting a grocery store and a fast food restaurant on New Year’s Eve. He allegedly communicated with individuals he believed were affiliated with ISIS, but who were actually undercover agents.
According to the arrest affidavit, the FBI in Charlotte received information on December 18, 2025, about an individual later identified as Sturdivant, who was making multiple social media posts supporting ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization.
In early December 2025, Sturdivant posted an image showing two miniature figurines of Jesus with the text, “May Allah curse the cross worshipers.” This post is alleged to align with ISIS rhetoric that calls for the extermination of all non-believers, including Christians, Jews, and Muslims who do not adhere to ISIS’s extreme ideology.
The criminal complaint states that on or around December 12, 2025, Sturdivant began communicating with an online covert employee (OC), whom he believed was an ISIS member. During these interactions, Sturdivant reportedly said, “I will do jihad soon,” and declared himself “a soldier of the state,” referring to ISIS. On December 14, 2025, Sturdivant sent the OC an image of two hammers and a knife. This is significant because an article in the 2016 issue of ISIS’s propaganda magazine promoted the use of knives for terror attacks in Western countries. The same article inspired actual attacks elsewhere.
Later, Sturdivant told the OC about his plans to attack a specific grocery store in North Carolina. He also mentioned purchasing a firearm to use alongside the knives during the attack, as per the arrest affidavit.
On December 19, 2025, Sturdivant allegedly sent the OC a voice recording where he pledged “Bayat,” a loyalty oath to ISIS.
On December 29, 2025, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Sturdivant’s residence. They discovered handwritten documents, one of which was titled “New Years Attack 2026.” The document listed items such as a vest, mask, tactical gloves, and two knives, allegedly intended for the attack. It also outlined a goal of stabbing as many civilians as possible, with a target of 20 to 21 victims. The note included a section labeled “martyrdom op,” which described a plan to attack police responding to the site so that Sturdivant would die a martyr.
The complaint alleges that Sturdivant lived with a relative who had secured knives and hammers away to prevent Sturdivant from using them for harm. However, law enforcement found from Sturdivant’s bedroom a blue hammer, a wooden handled hammer, and two butcher knives hidden underneath his bed. These items appeared to match those depicted in the online message Sturdivant previously sent to the OC.
Sturdivant was arrested on Wednesday and made an initial appearance in court on Friday. He remains in federal custody. If convicted, Sturdivant could face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine the final sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
