Overview
- Christian Sturdivant, 18, was arrested on Dec. 31 as he left a medical facility and remains in federal custody after an initial court appearance, with another hearing set for Jan. 7.
- Prosecutors say he intended a New Year’s Eve attack using knives and hammers at a grocery store and a Burger King in Mint Hill, and he wrote that he sought to die a “martyr.”
- A Dec. 29 search recovered a handwritten document titled “New Years Attack 2026,” knives and hammers hidden under his bed, and notes naming Jews, Christians and LGBTQ people as targets.
- Investigators say he pledged allegiance to ISIS in communications with undercover NYPD and FBI operatives, shared weapon photos, and asked for help obtaining firearms.
- Officials credit a two‑week, multi‑agency JTTF effort with disrupting the plot; records show the FBI first intervened in 2022 when, as a juvenile, he was referred for psychological care after ISIS-linked online contact.