A young man is accused of plotting an attack at a grocery store in North Carolina on New Year’s Eve in support of Islamic terrorists.
Officials with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) disrupted the alleged plan involving the suspect identified as 18-year-old Christian Sturdivant of Mint Hill, Fox News reported on Friday.
Authorities said Sturdivant was planning the attack in support of the Islamic jihadist terrorist group ISIS.
An image shows the suspect in the case:
In a statement to Fox, FBI Director Kash Patel said his agency and its partners “continued working 24/7 over the holidays protecting the American people, and this case out of Charlotte foiling another alleged New Years Eve attacker is the latest example of their tremendous work.”
“Our teams quickly identified the threat and acted decisively — no doubt saving American lives in the process. Thanks to our Joint Terrorism Task Force and regional partners both in New York and Western North Carolina for their efforts,” he added.
At a press conference, officials said the alleged plan was to target a Mint Hill grocery store and fast food restaurant, noting Sturdivant began by reading ISIS material online at the group’s websites and making TikTok videos:
Officials were able to disrupt the alleged plot after the young man communicated online with a person he thought was affiliated with the terrorist group. However, that person was actually a government covert worker who reportedly received images of hammers and a knife from the suspect.
Sturdivant allegedly said, “I will do jihad soon,” aligned himself with ISIS, and indicated he was going to attack a grocery store.
Law enforcement officers found handwritten documents inside the young man’s residence regarding the alleged plot. One list found reportedly showed he had a goal of stabbing as many people as possible and how he apparently wanted to die a martyr at the scene.
According to U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Russ Ferguson, Sturdivant was charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
In December, the FBI thwarted an anti-ICE, anti-Israel group accused of planning New Year’s Eve bombings in Los Angeles, per Breitbart News.
