FBI: We Stopped NYE Attack in North Carolina

Authorities in North Carolina say they prevented a planned New Year’s Eve attack before it could be carried out. Federal prosecutors announced Friday that 18-year-old Christian Sturdivant was arrested after investigators determined he had spent about a year planning an assault using knives and hammers, according to CBS News.

U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson said Sturdivant was “preparing for jihad” and warned that “innocent people were going to die” if the plan had not been stopped. The FBI’s Charlotte field office said Sturdivant was “directly inspired” by the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS.

Sturdivant has been charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, a federal crime commonly used in terrorism-related cases. Authorities have not released details about how the alleged plot was discovered or where the attack was intended to occur.

According to the Associated Press, the investigation was reopened last month after Sturdivant made concerning social media posts. He had previously drawn the FBI’s attention in 2022, when he was a minor, after communicating with an ISIS member based in Europe.

The case comes amid heightened concerns over holiday-related threats nationwide. In a separate investigation last month, authorities in Southern California charged four individuals described as members of a “radical anti-government group” with planning multiple bomb attacks timed around New Year’s Eve.