US: FBI arrests man over alleged NYE attack plot

Authorities in the US on Friday said that they foiled a New Year's Eve terror attack.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said an 18-year-old man with a history of mental health issues who had pledged loyalty to the Islamic State group has been arrested.

The man, identified as Christian S., had allegedly planned a knife-and-hammer attack on a grocery store and a fast-food restaurant near Charlotte, North Carolina, according to the FBI.

The suspect has been charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign "terrorist organization."

A court ordered the man, who was arrested on December 31, to remain in custody until a further hearing on January 7.

According to officials, the attack was going to take place in Mint Hill, a suburb of Charlotte.

Undercover FBI officials posed as members of the Islamic State group to extract information about the intended attack, FBI Special Agent James Barnacle, Jr., US federal prosecutor Russ Ferguson and Mint Hill police chief Joseph Hatley told reporters.

"He pledged his allegiance to ISIS with that undercover agent, and he disclosed his plans to 'do jihad' soon," Ferguson said, using one of multiple acronyms used to refer to the Islamic State terror group.

He disclosed more details to another undercover official, according to Ferguson.

The suspect's online messages, along with a recent search of his home, indicated attacks would occur with knives and hammers, according to prosecutors and records.

"He said he was going to wear a Kevlar vest and attack people with knives and hammers. And of course, he talked about when he was going to carry out this attack, which was New Year's Eve," Ferguson said.

The man has been known to the authorities since 2022, when he was still a minor, because he had been "in contact via social media with an unidentified ISIS member," said Special Agent Barnacle.

A note was also found that said he was planning to attack arriving officers and "hoped to die by the hands of police," according to the FBI.

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Editor's note: DW follows the German press code, which stresses the importance of protecting the privacy of suspected criminals or victims and urges us to refrain from revealing full names in such cases.