Federal authorities say they disrupted an ISIS‑inspired terror plot planned for New Year’s Eve in Mint Hill, North Carolina, arresting 18‑year‑old Christian Sturdivant after a criminal complaint was filed on December 31, 2025. The Justice Department and local law enforcement credit coordinated work that stopped the attack before any Americans were harmed. This is exactly the kind of clear and present danger our men and women in uniform must be empowered to stop.
According to court documents, Sturdivant allegedly intended to use knives and hammers to strike a grocery store and a fast food restaurant, and investigators found a handwritten plan titled “New Years Attack 2026” that detailed a goal of stabbing up to 20 victims. Officials say weapons, tactical gear and other notes were discovered during a December 29, 2025 search of his home, and prosecutors have charged him with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Those chilling details should remind every American that evil finds new ways to hide in plain sight.
The FBI says it had been watching the suspect since 2022 after earlier contact with suspected extremist operatives, and in December he communicated with undercover agents he believed were ISIS affiliates, even pledging loyalty. Law enforcement says the undercover operation uncovered concrete plans and timelines, which led to the arrest on December 31, 2025. Whether you support the tools investigators use or not, the result was simple: lives were saved.
But let’s be blunt about the uncomfortable truths this case exposes: authorities first flagged this young man back in 2022 and instead of locking down a long pattern of violent intent he was routed into treatment and left to fester online. That gap is on the books and on policymakers who have allowed loopholes in how we handle radicalization and recidivism for would‑be killers. If the choice is between bureaucratic hand‑wringing and decisive action to protect innocent Americans, patriots know which side they stand on.
This radicalization did not happen in a vacuum — investigators say pro‑ISIS material and social media played a role in his descent, with platforms allowing poisonous ideology to spread and recruit. Tech companies and regulators have been warned for years about being the 21st‑century vector for terror, yet too many words and too few consequences have followed. If we value human life and community safety, we must hold these platforms accountable and stop pretending that online crimes stop at the keyboard.
Americans should be grateful to the brave men and women in federal and local law enforcement who acted to stop this plot, and the political leadership must answer for squishy policies that let these threats incubate. We need tougher, smarter responses: clearer thresholds for intervention, better support for families and guardians, and real penalties for companies that profit off radicalization. This close call is a sober reminder that protecting our towns and our neighbors is the work of a republic that refuses to sleep while enemies plot at our door.
