The New Orleans ISIS attack left 14 Americans dead on New Year's Day.
Terrorists are plotting to strike again across America.
And the FBI stopped an ISIS attack on a North Carolina grocery store with one day to spare.
FBI infiltrated ISIS sympathizer's plot before New Year's Eve massacre
The FBI arrested 18-year-old Christian Sturdivant from Mint Hill, North Carolina after catching him red-handed planning a massacre at a local grocery store.
An undercover FBI agent posed online as an ISIS supporter and got Sturdivant to reveal his plans.
"I will do jihad soon," Sturdivant told the agent, declaring himself "a soldier of the state" — his term for ISIS.¹
The terrorist even sent photos of the hammers and knives he planned to use in the attack.
When FBI agents raided Sturdivant's home on December 29, they discovered his detailed attack plan written out by hand.
The note was titled "New Years Attack 2026" and included a shopping list for the massacre: vest, mask, tactical gloves, and two knives.²
Sturdivant wrote down his goal — stab as many civilians as possible with a target body count of 20 to 21 innocent Americans.
"During his online communications with the OC, Sturdivant said, 'I will do jihad soon,' and proclaimed he was 'a soldier of the state,' meaning ISIS," the U.S. Attorney's Office stated.³
Hidden under Sturdivant's bed, FBI agents seized two hammers and two butcher knives ready for the attack.
But Sturdivant planned to die killing Americans.
His handwritten note contained a section called "martyrdom Op" where he laid out how he'd attack responding police officers to guarantee he died as an ISIS martyr.⁴
ISIS terrorists target American Christians
The FBI Charlotte Field Office received a tip on December 18 that someone was flooding social media with ISIS propaganda.
That person was Christian Sturdivant.
In early December, Sturdivant posted an image showing two miniature Jesus figurines with text reading "May Allah curse the cross worshipers."⁵
"The post is allegedly consistent with ISIS historic practice calling for the extermination of all non-believers, including Christians and other Muslims who do not agree with the terrorist organization's extreme ideology," prosecutors added.⁶
FBI Director Kash Patel crushed the plot before Sturdivant could carry out his New Year's Eve attack.
"The FBI's mission is to protect the American people, and this case demonstrates our dedication to do everything we can to protect the residents of North Carolina," Special Agent in Charge James C. Barnacle Jr. said.⁷
"We worked closely with the Department of Justice, NYPD, Mint Hill Police Department, and our FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force partners to investigate and disrupt this serious threat of a violent attack," Barnacle continued.
Sturdivant now faces 20 years in federal prison if convicted of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
Kash Patel's FBI delivers results Trump supporters demanded
Just one day after Sturdivant's arrest, ISIS struck America.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a pickup truck through a crowd of New Year's Eve revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing 14 Americans.
The 42-year-old Army veteran who served in Afghanistan posted five videos on Facebook hours before the attack proclaiming his support for ISIS.
Jabbar explained he originally planned to kill his family but changed targets so the headlines would focus on what he called the "war between the believers and the disbelievers."
An ISIS flag was found in Jabbar's truck along with improvised explosive devices he planted in coolers along Bourbon Street.
Since Kash Patel took over as FBI Director, the Bureau has stopped multiple ISIS-inspired plots across America.
In October 2025, FBI agents thwarted an ISIS-inspired Halloween weekend attack in Michigan by arresting five suspects between ages 16 and 20.
Just days ago, the FBI arrested a 21-year-old ISIS sympathizer in Texas for attempting to provide bomb-making components and financial support to the terrorist organization.
"The FBI and our partners continued working 24/7 over the holidays protecting the American people, and this case out of Charlotte foiling another alleged New Years Eve attacker is the latest example of their tremendous work," FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement.⁸
"Our teams quickly identified the threat and acted decisively — no doubt saving American lives in the process," Patel added.⁹
Donald Trump appointed Patel to lead the FBI because voters were sick of an agency that spent years targeting Trump supporters while letting real threats slip through.
The Charlie Kirk assassination in September 2025 proved Americans weren't safe when the FBI focused on political persecution instead of stopping terrorists.
Kash Patel's FBI is delivering the results Trump supporters demanded — crushing ISIS plots before they can claim more American lives.
¹ U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, "North Carolina Man Charged With Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS," Justice.gov, January 2, 2026.
² Ibid.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ Ibid.
⁷ FBI Charlotte Field Office, Statement via Justice.gov, January 2, 2026.
⁸ FBI Director Kash Patel, Statement to Fox News Digital, January 2, 2026.
⁹ Ibid.
