A 2019 year-old man from North Carolina has been charged with planning a potential New Year's Eve terror attack, according to the FBI. Christian Sturdivant, an American citizen who turned 18 last month, is facing charges of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, ISIS.
In court documents unsealed on Friday, investigators allege that Sturdivant planned to carry out a knife and hammer attack against random individuals in North Carolina, in support of the extremist group. The suspect allegedly pledged his allegiance to ISIS with an undercover agent and shared detailed plans for the attack, including targeting a grocery store or Burger King.
Sturdivant started researching ISIS material on the internet, making TikTok videos and reaching out to what he thought was a member of the group. However, in reality, these contacts were undercover agents with the NYPD, investigators said.
In one post, the FBI alleged that Sturdivant's language was consistent with ISIS' historic practice of calling for the extermination of "non-believers". He also allegedly told an undercover agent on December 15 that he would be targeting "Christian pagans and LGBTQ" in his planned attack.
During a search of his home, investigators found evidence of his plans, including a hammer and a note outlining two alleged attacks. One note was titled "Burger King Jihad", while the other was for a grocery store attack.
Sturdivant was arrested on New Year's Eve and made his initial appearance in federal court this morning. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years if convicted, according to investigators.
The FBI said that thanks to their efforts, the public should feel "very, very good" and safe. The agency credited its agents for thwarting what could have been a deadly attack, and praised the undercover agents who infiltrated Sturdivant's network.
In court documents unsealed on Friday, investigators allege that Sturdivant planned to carry out a knife and hammer attack against random individuals in North Carolina, in support of the extremist group. The suspect allegedly pledged his allegiance to ISIS with an undercover agent and shared detailed plans for the attack, including targeting a grocery store or Burger King.
Sturdivant started researching ISIS material on the internet, making TikTok videos and reaching out to what he thought was a member of the group. However, in reality, these contacts were undercover agents with the NYPD, investigators said.
In one post, the FBI alleged that Sturdivant's language was consistent with ISIS' historic practice of calling for the extermination of "non-believers". He also allegedly told an undercover agent on December 15 that he would be targeting "Christian pagans and LGBTQ" in his planned attack.
During a search of his home, investigators found evidence of his plans, including a hammer and a note outlining two alleged attacks. One note was titled "Burger King Jihad", while the other was for a grocery store attack.
Sturdivant was arrested on New Year's Eve and made his initial appearance in federal court this morning. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years if convicted, according to investigators.
The FBI said that thanks to their efforts, the public should feel "very, very good" and safe. The agency credited its agents for thwarting what could have been a deadly attack, and praised the undercover agents who infiltrated Sturdivant's network.
anyway back to this dude Christian Sturdivant... i feel bad for him cuz he seems kinda lost & got caught up in some pretty sketchy stuff idk what ISIS is all about but it sounds super scary 
u think ppl who get drawn into that sorta thing are really brainwashed or just really gullible? 
OMG I'm literally so relieved right now!! Can't believe how fast the authorities were able to catch that guy and stop him from doing something horrific 
I mean, it's crazy to think about how easily he could've been swayed by all that ISIS propaganda and actually carried out an attack 
But thank goodness those undercover agents were there to infiltrate his network and gather intel 
And now Sturdivant is facing serious charges and will likely face the consequences of his actions 
It's a huge weight off our collective shoulders, for sure! 
. it's heartbreaking to think about the lives that could've been lost if he had gone through with his plans.
. it just goes to show that we gotta stay vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the authorities.
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just saw this news about this guy Christian Sturdivant from NC and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it... like, how did he even end up talking to people on TikTok thinking they were ISIS members? 
also wonder how many people he was planning to harm before the undercover agents got involved... feels like a wake-up call to be more careful online and report suspicious activity 
, but with actual people getting hurt 
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. Because let's be real, people are lonely and searching for a sense of belonging online, and sometimes they latch onto extremist ideologies because they feel seen or heard 
. It's time for us to take responsibility for creating an internet that promotes positive change over hate speech 
. The fact that he was making TikTok videos and trying to reach out to ISIS members just goes to show how much of a influence the internet can have on people's minds 
. And that he specifically targeted certain groups like Christians and LGBTQ folks? That's just heartbreaking 
. I'm glad the FBI was able to catch this guy and prevent whatever damage he could've done, but it's also a reminder that we need to keep an eye out for anyone who might be slipping through the cracks 
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. but seriously, glad the FBI was able to stop something from happening, that's definitely a relief for everyone in NC. still, gotta wonder how this guy even got connected with an ISIS agent online... did he really just stumble upon it or was there some actual vulnerability in their security? 
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and it's just... so scary 
it's reassuring to know that law enforcement is on top of this and can prevent something like this from happening in real life 
I'm glad the FBI was able to catch him before it was too late, but what about all the other Sturdivants out there who are more radical? 
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. The FBI did a great job, tho! 
. The fact that he was planning to target specific groups is super disturbing... can you even imagine being a Christian pagan or an LGBTQ person and knowing there's someone out there who wants to hurt you?! 