How US authorities thwarted a major ISIS-inspired terror attack on New Year’s Eve

The US authorities have thwarted a major ISIS-inspired terrorist attack on New Year’s Eve in North Carolina, FBI Director Kash Patel said on Friday.

The suspect allegedly planned to storm a grocery store and a fast-food restaurant using knives and hammers.

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The accused has been identified as Christian Sturdivant, a Mint Hill man who wanted to be an ISIS soldier. He was arrested after a joint operation by the FBI and local law enforcement partners.

“The accused allegedly wanted to be a soldier for ISIS and made plans to commit a violent attack on New Year’s Eve in support of that terrorist group, but the FBI and our partners put a stop to that,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.

John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security said that the accused aspired to become a ‘martyr’ for ISIS and was in the final stages of planning a mass-casualty attack on New Year’s Eve.

“Notes recovered from his home appear to reflect intent to harm as many people as possible and terrorise the Nation,” Eisenberg stated.

How US authorities thwarted New Year’s Eve attack?

Undercover cybersecurity investigators identified “threats of extremist behavior” of Sturdivant and thwarted them before they could be carried out.

According to the investigation, Sturdivant made multiple social media posts in support of ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization.

In early December 2025, Sturdivant posted an image depicting two miniature figurines of Jesus with the on-screen text that read, “May Allah curse the cross worshipers.”

The post was allegedly consistent with ISIS’s rhetoric calling for the extermination of all non-believers, including Christians, Jews, and Muslims who do not agree with ISIS’s extreme ideology, said a press release by the United States Attorney’s Office.

Sturdivant started communicating with an undercover agent on social media, believing the agent was an ISIS member. He told the agent, “I will do jihad soon,” and called himself “a soldier of the state”.

He also revealed his deadly plan to use firearms along with the knives during the attack.