U.S. federal authorities thwarted a potential New Year’s Eve terrorist attack in a North Carolina town, FBI Director Kash Patel announced Friday, identifying an individual allegedly influenced by the Islamic State (IS) as responsible.
“The FBI and its partners thwarted another potential attack on New Year’s Eve by an individual allegedly inspired by ISIS,” Patel posted on X.
FBI prevents terrorist attack on New Year’s Eve
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
The head of the federal agency echoed an alert from the FBI office in the city of Charlotte (North Carolina), which reported that the suspect, identified as an 18-year-old man named Christian Sturdivant, would have been “directly inspired by ISIS to commit the attack.”
The alleged perpetrator was arrested and had been preparing the attack for nearly a year, for which he planned to use knives and hammers at a grocery store and a fast food restaurant, U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson said during a press conference in Ferguson, the largest city in the southern U.S. state.
Sturdivant “was preparing for jihad, and innocent people were going to die. We were very, very lucky that he didn’t make it,” added Ferguson, who specified that they were able to discover the young man’s plan because he began communicating with an undercover officer posing as an IS agent.
Authorities charged the suspect with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization for which he could face up to 20 years in prison.
According to authorities, a search of Sturdivant’s home on December 29 revealed how he kept several manuscripts, gloves, two hammers and two knives that he allegedly used in the attack.
A note found at the home mentions “the objective to kill as many people as possible”, with a target of at least twenty victims.
A brief, entitled ‘Operation Martyrdom’ reveals how the suspect had planned to confront the police and “die a martyr’s death,” according to the Prosecutor’s Office.
Friday’s announcement follows the arrest about three weeks ago of five people accused of allegedly wanting to carry out a series of “terrorist” attacks in Southern California during New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Filed under: FBI prevents terrorist attack
With information from EFE
