An 18-year-old North Carolina man has been charged with allegedly planning a terror attack on New Year's Eve in support of ISIS. Christian Sturdivant, who turned 18 last month, is accused of trying to carry out a knife and hammer attack against random individuals at a grocery store or Burger King.
According to court records unsealed by the FBI, Sturdivant started researching ISIS material online and eventually reached out to someone he thought was an ISIS participant - an undercover agent with the NYPD. The suspect pledged his allegiance to ISIS and revealed his plans to "do jihad soon."
Sturdivant's alleged notes included a handwritten document titled "The New Year's Attack," which listed a goal of stabbing as many civilians as possible and a total number of victims as 20 or 21. Authorities also found an alleged handwritten note professing a plea for Jihad.
The suspect allegedly communicated with an ISIS sympathizer who encouraged him to carry out a knife attack against his neighbor using a hammer and knife. Sturdivant was almost ready to carry out the attack when he was restrained by his grandfather, who works at a grocery store and is a Christian minister in the Charlotte area.
Sturdivant had also posted threats on social media and allegedly attempted to acquire a gun from an undercover FBI agent while discussing planning an attack. He told the agent that he was preparing for martyrdom around December 27.
During a search of his home, investigators found a hammer and a note outlining two alleged attacks - one at Burger King and one at a grocery store. The suspect allegedly wrote that he would go into the bathroom to put on a mask and carry out the attack with a knife.
Sturdivant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years for attempting to provide material support to a foreign terror organization. The FBI had thwarted what it described as "a potential" New Year's Eve terror attack, thanks in part to the efforts of undercover agents who posed as ISIS sympathizers.
According to court records unsealed by the FBI, Sturdivant started researching ISIS material online and eventually reached out to someone he thought was an ISIS participant - an undercover agent with the NYPD. The suspect pledged his allegiance to ISIS and revealed his plans to "do jihad soon."
Sturdivant's alleged notes included a handwritten document titled "The New Year's Attack," which listed a goal of stabbing as many civilians as possible and a total number of victims as 20 or 21. Authorities also found an alleged handwritten note professing a plea for Jihad.
The suspect allegedly communicated with an ISIS sympathizer who encouraged him to carry out a knife attack against his neighbor using a hammer and knife. Sturdivant was almost ready to carry out the attack when he was restrained by his grandfather, who works at a grocery store and is a Christian minister in the Charlotte area.
Sturdivant had also posted threats on social media and allegedly attempted to acquire a gun from an undercover FBI agent while discussing planning an attack. He told the agent that he was preparing for martyrdom around December 27.
During a search of his home, investigators found a hammer and a note outlining two alleged attacks - one at Burger King and one at a grocery store. The suspect allegedly wrote that he would go into the bathroom to put on a mask and carry out the attack with a knife.
Sturdivant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years for attempting to provide material support to a foreign terror organization. The FBI had thwarted what it described as "a potential" New Year's Eve terror attack, thanks in part to the efforts of undercover agents who posed as ISIS sympathizers.
Like, 18-year-old trying to carry out a terrorist attack... that's just crazy talk 
. I mean, we gotta be vigilant but also give a big ol' thank you to the undercover agents who foiled this plot 
. Sturdivant was literally so close to carrying out this horrific act 
, but his grandpa stepped in and saved lives 
. And can we talk about social media for a sec? 
Like, how easy is it to spread hate & propaganda online? 
We need more awareness & education on that stuff! 
Anyway, let's all just take a deep breath & be grateful for these heroes who keep us safe 
.
that some random kid with extremist views got caught before he could cause harm. 20 yrs is a harsh sentence but i guess u can't put a price on lives 
. social media r supposed 2 b a platform 4 connection not hatred 
. glad the authorities were able 2 step in & prevent any harm 
. This kid's been researching ISIS stuff online and was all set to go on a rampage in a grocery store or Burger King... 20 people could've gotten hurt, and it's just unbelievable 
.
.
But it's also heartening to see law enforcement agencies working together to stop these kinds of threats 
. Anyway, I'm just glad this guy got caught and won't be able to carry out any harm 
.
. It's appalling that someone would even consider using violence to further their twisted ideology 
. The fact that he was so brazen, posting threats on social media and trying to acquire a gun from an undercover agent 
, is truly disturbing 
.
. It's chilling to think about how close we came to losing innocent lives 
. But, of course, it was thanks to the bravery of undercover agents who posed as ISIS sympathizers 
.
. Now, let's hope that Sturdivant gets the help he needs to turn his life around 
.