Potential New Year’s Eve Terror Attack Thwarted in North Carolina
A potential New Year’s Eve terror attack inspired by ISIS was thwarted in North Carolina, authorities announced Friday. A suspect is in custody, accused of planning to attack a grocery store and a fast food restaurant in the town of Mint Hill, which is located near Charlotte.
The 18-year-old suspect, identified as Christian Sturdivant, had been planning the attack for about a year, according to U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. He allegedly planned to use knives and hammers in the attack. When the FBI executed a search warrant at the suspect’s home, investigators found those weapons hidden under his bed and notes detailing his alleged plans for the attack.
Investigation and Charges
The notes indicated that the suspect wanted to target “Jews, Christians and LGBTQ individuals,” Ferguson said. According to an affidavit from an FBI agent filed in court, the suspect’s grandfather, who is his legal guardian, is a Christian minister in Charlotte and works at a grocery store. FBI Special Agent James Barnacle Jr., head of the bureau’s field office in North Carolina, said the suspect, who is a U.S. citizen, was monitoring multiple grocery stores in Mint Hill to try to determine which one would be the most crowded on New Year’s Eve.
“He knew there would be a lot of people there grocery shopping,” Barnacle said. He also said the suspect “was looking for a high-profile place.” The field office said the suspect was “directly inspired” by ISIS. Investigators believe he was working alone, Ferguson said.
Previous Incidents and Online Activities
According to investigators, the suspect spoke about his plans for the attack with an undercover FBI agent who he thought was involved with ISIS. The suspect had allegedly reached out earlier to someone he thought was a member of ISIS but was actually an undercover agent with the New York Police Department. The suspect allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS and told the undercover agent he planned to “do jihad soon,” Ferguson said.
The suspect worked at a Burger King, but the U.S. attorney didn’t say whether that restaurant was a target of the alleged plot. Barnacle said Sturdivant first came on the FBI’s radar in January 2022 when he was allegedly in contact over social media with an unidentified ISIS member who told him to dress in black, knock on people’s doors and attack them with a hammer.
The suspect made his initial appearance in federal court Friday morning, Ferguson said. He has been charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and faces a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Additional charges could be filed as the investigation unfolds, Ferguson said.
Conclusion and Further Reading
Friday’s announcement comes less than three weeks after officials in Southern California charged four members of a far-left anti-government group for allegedly planning a series of bomb attacks on New Year’s Eve. For more information, visit Here
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