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The suspect accused of plotting a New Year’s Eve attack on a grocery store and fast-food restaurant in North Carolina worked at a Burger King and hid knives and hammers under his bed, despite his grandparents trying to secure the potential weapons, prosecutors revealed Friday.
Christian Sturdivant, 18, of Mint Hill — a town outside Charlotte — was arrested and charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Russ Ferguson said.
“What we do know is that the grandfather secured the knives in the home, secured the hammers, tried to make sure that Mr. Sturdivant did not have them. And yet, when we executed the search warrant, they were found under his bed,” Ferguson told reporters at a press conference on Friday.
Ferguson added that the attack was planned to take place in Mint Hill and the suspect worked at a Burger King.
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Christian Sturdivant, the 18-year-old suspect from Mint Hill, N.C., who is accused of plotting an attack on New Year’s Eve in support of ISIS. (Gaston County Sheriff’s Office)
“He was preparing for jihad, and innocent people were going to die. And we were very, very fortunate they did not,” Ferguson also said, later adding, “I can tell you from his notes he was targeting Jews, Christians and LGBTQ individuals.”
James C. Barnacle, Jr., special agent in charge of the FBI’s Charlotte Field Office, said Friday that Sturdivant first caught the bureau’s attention in January 2022, when he was still a juvenile.
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Prosecutors said, “law enforcement seized from Sturdivant’s bedroom a blue hammer, a wooden handled hammer, and two butcher knives hidden underneath the defendant’s bed.” On the right is a note titled, “New Years Attack 2026,” that prosecutors said law enforcement found during a Dec. 29, 2025 search of Sturdivant’s residence in Mint Hill, N.C. (United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina)
“He was in contact via social media with an unidentified ISIS member overseas. Sturdivant received direction from this unidentified ISIS member to dress in all black, knock on people’s doors, and attack them with a hammer. In fact, Sturdivant did dress in all black. He left this house with a hammer, and fortunately his family stepped in,” Barnacle continued. “No charges were filed at that time. He was referred for psychological care, and he underwent psychological care.”
“Christian Sturdivant pledged his loyalty to ISIS and committed himself to commit to killing Americans on New Year’s Eve,” Barnacle added.
“Law enforcement also seized from Sturdivant’s bedroom a list of targets, as well as tactical gloves and a vest, acquired as part of the defendant’s planned attack,” prosecutors said. (United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina)
“We do have some intelligence that he was looking at a grocery store because there would be a lot of people there. He knew there would be a lot of people there grocery shopping… he was looking for a high-profile place,” Barnacle said.
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“There’s a couple grocery stores in Mint Hill. He wasn’t set on just one. He was looking at multiple, whichever one had the most people in it.”