On Friday, federal authorities said they had shut down an alleged ISIS-inspired terror plot just hours before New Year’s Eve after an 18-year-old North Carolina man detailed plans to stab civilians at a fast-food restaurant or supermarket.
FBI says attack was imminent
The FBI and Justice Department said they thwarted a possible New Year’s Eve terror attack in North Carolina Christian Sturdivanta US citizen who turned 18 last month, attempting to support ISIS and plan a violent attack on civilians.
Sturdivant reportedly planned to carry out a knife-and-hammer attack on either of them Restaurant Brands International Inc. (NYSE:QSR) subsidiary Burger Kingwhere he worked, or at a local supermarket, to kill as many people as possible, officials said at a news conference Friday.
FBI director Kas Patel took to X and thanked FBI personnel and the New York Police Department “for acting quickly and saving lives.”
Related: Kash Patel credits Trump and Congress as FBI permanently closes Hoover Building headquarters
Years of radicalization and undercover operations
Investigators say the case began in 2022, when Sturdivant was still a minor, after he began consuming ISIS propaganda online, visiting extremist websites and posting videos to social media.
Authorities said he tried to contact ISIS supporters but instead communicated with two undercover officers — one from the NYPD and another from the FBI — who he believed were ISIS affiliates.
Prosecutors allege he has pledged allegiance to ISIS and repeatedly expressed a desire to carry out “jihad.”
American lawyer Russ Ferguson said the meetings were intended to reassure the public. “The fact that he encountered not one but two undercover officers along the way in this elaborate planning of this attack should give the public a very good and safe feeling.”
Alleged plans targeted civilians
Court records show Sturdivant wrote handwritten notes titled “The New Year’s Attack” and “Citizen King Jihad,” in which he detailed plans to wear all black, put on a mask in a bathroom and stab civilians. One note reportedly listed a target of 20 or 21 victims.
Authorities said he expressed hostility toward “non-believers,” Christians and LGBTQ individuals and told undercover officers he was “prepared for death.”
Investigators say he was almost out the door on New Year’s Eve when his grandfather restrained him and prevented the attack.
Arrest and indictment
Sturdivant was arrested on New Year’s Eve and made his first appearance in federal court on Friday. He faces a prison sentence of up to twenty years.
Authorities said attempts to have him involuntarily committed were rebuffed, prompting federal charges instead.
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