CAGLIARI, Italy (AP) — A second half goal from Rafael Leão gave AC Milan a 1-0 win at Cagliari and sent it back to the top of Serie A on Friday.
The Portuguese winger missed Milan’s last three games with an adductor injury but he returned from the start against the mid-table Sardinians and was decisive with his sixth goal in 11 league matches this term.
Five minutes into the second half, Leão took a cutback from Adrien Rabiot and slammed the ball into the roof of the net from 12 meters out.
The win extended Milan’s unbeaten run to 16 league games and took it two points ahead of city rival Inter and four clear of reigning champion Napoli, both of whuch play on Sunday.
Cagliari remained in 14th place.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
AC Milan's coach Massimiliano Allegri smiles ahead of the Serie A soccer match between Cagliari and AC Milan, in Cagliari, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (Gianluca Zuddas/LaPresse via AP)
Cagliari's coach Fabio Pisacane is seen during the Serie A soccer match between Cagliari and AC Milan, in Cagliari, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (Gianluca Zuddas/LaPresse via AP)
Cagliari's Adam Obert is seen in action during the Serie A soccer match between Cagliari and AC Milan in Cagliari, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (Gianluca Zuddas/LaPresse via AP)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The FBI said Friday it disrupted a New Year’s Eve attack plot targeting a grocery store and fast-food restaurant in North Carolina, arresting an 18-year-old man who authorities say pledged loyalty to the Islamic State group.
Christian Sturdivant was charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Investigators said he told an undercover FBI employee posing as a supportive confidant about his plans to attack people. Their online messages, along with a recent search of his home, indicated attacks would occur with knives and hammers, according to prosecutors and records.
Worried Sturdivant might attempt violence before New Year’s Eve, the FBI placed him under constant surveillance for days, including on Christmas, U.S. Attorney for Western North Carolina Russ Ferguson said.
Agents were prepared to arrest him earlier if he left his home with weapons, Ferguson said at a news conference in Charlotte. “At no point was the public in harm’s way.”
Sturdivant was arrested Wednesday and remained in custody after a federal court appearance Friday. An attorney representing him did not immediately respond to an email or phone message seeking comment. Another hearing was scheduled for Jan. 7.
The alleged attack would have taken place one year after 14 people were killed in New Orleans by a U.S. citizen and Army veteran who proclaimed support for IS on social media.
The FBI has foiled several alleged attacks through sting operations in which agents posed as terror supporters, supplying advice or equipment. Critics say the strategy can amount to entrapment of mentally vulnerable people who wouldn’t have the wherewithal to act alone.
Searches of Sturdivant’s home and phone uncovered what investigators described as a manifesto detailing plans for the attack, FBI Special Agent in Charge James Barnacle told reporters.
“He was willing to sacrifice himself,” Barnacle said.
A handwritten note found in a trash can at Sturdivant's home listed details of the planned attacks and the number of intended victims at a Burger King restaurant and unnamed grocery store, according to an FBI affidavit.
The note also said he would attack arriving officers and “hoped to die by the hands of police.” Ferguson said the attack was to take place in Mint Hill, a bedroom community of Charlotte.
The affidavit said a database check indicated Sturdivant worked at Burger King in Mint Hill. It wasn't clear if that was the same restaurant cited in the note. Ferguson declined to identify the specific targeted businesses, citing the ongoing investigation.
If convicted, Sturdivant faces up to 20 years in prison, according to court documents.
The fact that Sturdivant encountered two undercover officers while allegedly planning the attack should reassure the public, Ferguson said.
The affidavit says the investigation began last month after authorities linked Sturdivant to a social media account that posted content supportive of IS, including imagery that appeared to promote violence. The account’s display name referenced Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the former leader of the extremist group.
Some experts argue that IS is powerful today partly as a brand, inspiring both militant groups and individuals in attacks that the group itself may have no real role in.
The affidavit says Sturdivant had been on the FBI's radar in January 2022, when he was a minor, after officials learned he'd been in contact with a suspected IS member in Europe, and received instructions to dress in black, knock on people's doors and commit attacks with a hammer.
At that time, Sturdivant set out for a neighbor’s house armed with a hammer and a knife but was restrained by his grandfather, the affidavit says.
No charges were filed at that time, but Sturdivant underwent psychological treatment and the FBI was told he no longer had access to social media, Ferguson said. But the FBI found out weeks ago that he was back on it, he added.
The FBI in Los Angeles last month announced the disruption of a separate New Year’s Eve plot, arresting members of an extremist anti-capitalist and anti-government group who federal officials said planned to bomb multiple sites in southern California.
Other IS-inspired attacks over the past decade include a 2015 shooting rampage by a husband-and-wife team who killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California, and a 2016 massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, by a gunman who fatally shot 49 people.
Robertson reported from Raleigh, North Carolina. Associated Press writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed.
FBI Special Agent James C. Barnacle, Jr., center, U.S. Attorney for Western District of North Carolina Russ Ferguson, right, and Mint Hill Police Department Chief Joseph Hatley give a press conference, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
U.S. Attorney for Western District of North Carolina Russ Ferguson speaks next to FBI Special Agent James C. Barnacle, Jr. during a press conference, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
This photo released by the Gaston County Sheriff's Office shows Christian Sturdivant. (Gaston County Sheriff's Office via AP)
FILE - An FBI seal is displayed on a podium before a news conference at the field office in Portland, Ore., Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)
