Over alleged NYE attack plot, US authorities arrest 18-year-old

WASHINGTON — An 18-year-old US man with a history of mental health issues was arrested on New Year’s Eve for allegedly planning a knife-and-hammer attack in the name of the Islamic State armed group, US authorities said Friday.

A North Carolina judge ordered Christian Sturdivant, who was arrested on December 31, to remain in custody until a further hearing on January 7.

Sturdivant was charged with providing material support to a “terrorist organization,” after undercover FBI agents fooled him into believing they were members of the Islamic State group.

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“He pledged his allegiance to ISIS with that undercover agent, and he disclosed his plans to ‘do jihad’ soon,” said federal prosecutor Russ Ferguson at a press conference, using another name for the group.

He revealed to the second agent his plans to carry out a knife-and-hammer attack at a grocery store and fast-food restaurant in the town of Mint Hill on New Year’s Eve, Ferguson said.

“He said he was going to wear a Kevlar vest and attack people with knives and hammers. And of course, he talked about when he was going to carry out this attack, which was New Year’s Eve.”

Sturdivant had been known to the FBI since 2022, when he was still a minor, as he had been “in contact via social media with an unidentified ISIS member,” said Special Agent James Barnacle.

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But no charges were brought at the time and he received psychological care before police authorities were again alerted to his online activities, he added.

Ferguson stressed that the suspect was put under 24-hour surveillance when it became clear he was planning an attack, and that “at no point was the public in harm’s way.” /dl