Patel says FBI thwarted ISIS-inspired New Year’s Eve attack
Federal authorities say a potentially deadly New Year’s Eve attack in North Carolina was stopped just in time, underscoring ongoing concerns about lone-actor terrorism inspired by foreign extremist groups operating largely online.
On Friday, Kash Patel, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced that agents and local law-enforcement partners disrupted what investigators describe as an ISIS-inspired plot targeting civilians.
“The FBI and partners foiled another potential New Year’s Eve attack from an individual allegedly inspired by ISIS,” Patel wrote, crediting interagency coordination with saving lives.
What Authorities Say Was Planned
According to federal prosecutors, Christian Sturdivant, an 18-year-old from Mint Hill, North Carolina, has been charged with attempting to provide material support to Islamic State. Investigators allege that Sturdivant planned to carry out attacks using knives and hammers while wearing a Kevlar vest, targeting a grocery store and a fast-food restaurant.
Law-enforcement officials say items consistent with those plans were recovered during a search of his home. The FBI’s Charlotte field office confirmed that the suspect was “directly inspired to act by ISIS,” a phrase increasingly used by authorities to describe self-radicalized individuals rather than operatives receiving direct orders from overseas.
The Lone-Actor Terrorism Threat
Counterterrorism experts have long warned that ISIS and similar groups have shifted strategy in recent years, focusing less on centrally coordinated plots and more on encouraging attacks by individuals radicalized through online propaganda, encrypted messaging platforms, and social media.
The Department of Homeland Security has repeatedly flagged so-called “lone-wolf” or “lone-actor” attacks as one of the most difficult threats to detect, precisely because they often involve everyday weapons, minimal logistical planning, and targets selected for symbolic or practical ease rather than strategic value.
New Year’s Eve and other large public gatherings are considered particularly attractive targets due to crowds, media attention, and the psychological impact of striking during national celebrations.
Interagency Coordination Credited
The FBI emphasized that the case highlights the importance of cooperation between federal, state, and local agencies. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina and FBI leadership were scheduled to provide additional details during a press conference in Charlotte.
While authorities have not released specific information about how the plot was detected, similar cases in recent years have involved tips from the public, monitoring of online extremist activity, undercover communications, or referrals from local law enforcement observing suspicious behavior.
A Reminder as 2026 Begins
The foiled plot serves as a reminder that, despite the territorial defeat of ISIS in the Middle East, its ideological influence continues to pose a threat inside the United States. Law-enforcement officials continue to urge the public to report concerning behavior, particularly signs of violent extremism, fixation on mass-casualty attacks, or sudden shifts toward extremist ideology.
As Patel noted in his statement, the disruption of the alleged attack was not the result of a single agency’s effort but a coordinated response aimed at stopping violence before it happens—often quietly, and often just in time.