Overview
- Christian Sturdivant, 18, of Mint Hill was charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization after prosecutors unsealed a complaint on Friday.
- Authorities say he planned to attack a grocery store and a Burger King using knives and hammers and sought help obtaining firearms from people he believed were ISIS members.
- A Dec. 29 search recovered a handwritten plan titled “New Years Attack 2026,” listing tactical gear, a goal of stabbing 20 to 21 people, and a “martyrdom” plan to confront responding police, along with knives and hammers hidden under his bed.
- Investigators say he pledged allegiance in messages to an undercover NYPD contact, later shared specifics with an undercover FBI agent, and was arrested Dec. 31 as he was released from a medical facility.
- Officials said he had been on the FBI’s radar as a juvenile in 2022 following a family-foiled episode, he remains in federal custody facing up to 20 years if convicted, and a court filing notes a further hearing set for Jan. 7 while critics again question sting tactics.