Federal authorities in North Carolina claim they have thwarted a planned attack on New Year’s Eve at Charlotte by a local teenager they say was inspired by ISIS, FBI officials said on Friday.

Christian Sturdivant, 18, of Mint Hill, a suburb of the Queen City, 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.

“It is a happy new year, although it came very close to not being such a happy new year for a lot of people this year,” he said during a press conference on Friday with the FBI.

“Without the swift action of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, New York City Police Department, the Mint Hill Police Department, and our partners at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina, we could be announcing a national tragedy. Instead, a terrorist attack was thwarted,” FBI Special Agent in Charge James C. Barnicle said at the press conference.

Prosecutors allege that Mr. Sturdivant had recently begun communicating online with someone he “believed to be affiliated with ISIS but in reality, was a government online covert employee” identified as “OC” in a criminal complaint. In one communication from December 14, the suspect allegedly sent the covert investigator an image of two hammers and a knife as he pledged to wage jihad.

“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 in the complaint. “In subsequent online communications with the OC, Sturdivant indicated that he planned to attack a specific grocery store in North Carolina and discussed plans to purchase a firearm to use along with the knives during the attack.”

It was also alleged that Mr. Sturdivant’s goal was to stab “as many civilians as possible” with the goal of racking up to 21 victims.

A police search of his home on December 29^th uncovered a manifesto, including one note titled “New Year Attack 2026.” The plan included a section listed as “martyrdom Op” and included his goal of attacking police officers that arrived at the scene so that he would “die a martyr.”

“In addition, law enforcement seized from Sturdivant’s bedroom a blue hammer, a wooden handled hammer, and two butcher knives hidden underneath the defendant’s bed,” the complaint said.

He is also alleged to prolifically post messages on social media consistent with ISIS’ practice calling for the killing of all non-believers, including Christians and other Muslims who do not agree with its extreme ideology.

“In one social post in early December 2025, Sturdivant posted an image depicting two miniature figurines of Jesus with the on-screen text that included ‘May Allah curse the cross worshipers,’” the complaint said.

Federal investigators say that they learned that Mr. Sturdivant was in contact with ISIS operatives as early as 2022, who directed him at the time to dress in all black and knock on people’s doors and attack them with a hammer. He had attempted to do so but was stopped by his grandfather who then turned him in to local officials.

“His grandfather stopped him and said that before that he had pledged allegiance to ISIS,” Mr. Ferguson said during the press conference.

The suspect was placed under mental health care at the time.

“The FBI was told he was receiving mental health services and closed their initial investigation at that time,” the state attorney added.

Mr. Sturdivant is being held in federal custody and if convicted, will face a maximum sentence of 20 years.

Additional charges are pending.