FBI foils ISIS-inspired plot at Indiana high school, agency claims
The FBI did not say why the foiled plot was classified as ‘ISIS-inspired’
The Federal Bureau of Investigation says it successfully thwarted an ISIS-inspired attack at an Indiana high school in 2025.
FBI agents “disrupted an ISIS-inspired plot targeting a central Indiana high school through rapid coordination with local partners,” according to an annual summary released by the agency’s Indianapolis field office Monday.
The agency did not share any other details about the planned attack, including the name of the school, the town or city, or when the plot was intended to be carried out. It is also unclear why the plot was classified as ISIS-inspired.
Chris Bavender, an FBI spokesperson, declined to comment further, telling FOX 59 that the matter was “ongoing.”
“Because the student had immediate access to firearms, FBI Indianapolis worked closely with the high school and our local law enforcement partner to remove all firearms from the house, and the student was expelled from school. DOJ did not file charges as the individual is a juvenile,” Bavender said in a statement. The Independent has contacted the FBI for comment.
The Indianapolis field office recorded a 112 percent increase in arrests last year compared to 2024, with 317 for violent crimes. It also seized 163 weapons – up 32 percent from 2024.
“These results reflect relentless work by our special agents, intelligence analysts, and professional staff, along with strong partnerships at every level of law enforcement,” FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. O’Malley said.
“Our mission is to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution, and in 2025, we did just that.”
News of the alleged plot in Indiana comes after the FBI field office in Charlotte, North Carolina, announced that it had foiled an ISIS-inspired attack planned for New Year’s Eve at a grocery store. Christian Sturdivant, 18, has been charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
Agents surveilled Sturdivant “around the clock” over the holidays, according to Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. He said the suspect searched ISIS websites and “eventually reached out to what he thought was a member of ISIS.”
“In reality, [it] was an undercover agent with NYPD in New York,” Ferguson said. “He pledged his allegiance to ISIS with that undercover agent, and he disclosed his plans to quote ‘do jihad soon.’”
“He then met a second undercover with the FBI, who he also thought was an ISIS participant. And he started to be very specific with his plans.”
Sturdivant allegedly admitted his plans to carry out the attack at a store in Mint Hill, a suburb of Charlotte. A search of his home revealed handwritten documents, including one titled “New Years Attack 2026,” which led to his arrest, the FBI said.
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