The Department of Justice has charged a Black teen for allegedly attempting to attack random individuals with a knife and hammer on New Year’s Eve. His motives will make your skin crawl
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According to CNN, Christian Sturdivant, a U.S. citizen, was arrested on Friday, Jan. 2 near Charlotte, NC, and charged with “attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.” He allegedly planned to attack a grocery store in Mint Hill during the busy New Year’s Eve shopping rush to maximize casualties, saying he was planning “to do Jihad soon.”
While Sturdivant believed he was communicating with a member of ISIS, he was actually conversing with an undercover NYPD agent.
As Sturdivant was being released from a mental hospital, he was arrested by James C. Barnacle Jr., FBI special agent in charge. Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, formally announced the charges levied against Sturdivant.
When the FBI arrived to execute a warrant at Sturdivant’s home, they discovered hammers and knives hidden under his bed. Additionally, agents found handwritten notes describing the alleged plot as well as a list of targets with details on how he would execute his plans.
Titled “New Year’s Attack 2026,” Sturdivant’s alleged manifesto cited Jews, Christians, and the LGBTQ community as his primary targets with intentions to stab “as many civilians as possible,” authorities said.
One section of the manifesto is headlined as “martyrdom op,” detailing Sturdivant’s plan to attack any law enforcement that responded to the attack, and that he was willing to die a martyr, the affidavit stated.
Ferguson said that Sturdivant’s scheme was “very well planned,” and that he “was preparing for Jihad and innocent people were going to die, and we were very, very fortunate they did not.” Barnacle said.
The FBI has been monitoring Strudivant’s moves since he was 14. In January 2022, he “was in contact via social media with an unidentified ISIS member overseas.”
Kash Patel, Director of the FBI, took to social media to express his gratitude for law enforcement officers who helped to apprehend Sturdivant.
”The @FBI and partners foiled another potential New Year’s Eve attack from an individual allegedly inspired by ISIS.@FBICharlotte will be speaking at a press conference shortly with more details,”Patel wrote on at the time of Strudivant’s arrest on X (formerly Twitter).
“Thanks to our great partners for working with us and undoubtedly saving lives,” Patel’s post continued.
On Friday, (Jan.3), Sturdivant appeared before the court for the first time. His hearing is set for Jan. 7.
Sturdivant is currently being held at Gaston County Jail on a federal hold. If convicted, he faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
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