FBI Foils New Year’s Eve Terror Plot in North Carolina, 18-Year-Old Arrested

Federal authorities announced they have stopped a potential terrorist attack planned for New Year’s Eve in Mint Hill, North Carolina. At a press conference, officials identified the suspect as 18-year-old Christian Studevant, a local resident who has now been arrested and charged.

According to the FBI, investigators found knives, hammers, handwritten notes detailing the attack, and a Kevlar vest inside Sturdivant’s home. Officials say he became radicalized after researching ISIS online and had been planning an attack for nearly a year.

The investigation took a critical turn when Sturdivant allegedly contacted individuals he believed were ISIS members to discuss his plans. Authorities say those individuals were actually undercover NYPD officers and an FBI agent, leading to his arrest before the attack could be carried out.

Studevant is charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Federal prosecutors say he now faces a potential sentence of several decades in prison.