A 19-year-old North Las Vegas man pleaded guilty Oct. 26 to attempting to provide material support for an act of terrorism or terrorists. Joshua Robles admitted trying to assist Islamic State terrorism in a case stemming from a November 2023 post in which police said he announced plans for “lone wolf operations” in Las Vegas. He is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 7.
Robles was arrested in 2023 and ordered to be tried as an adult, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The paper reported that police and prosecutors cited a November 2023 chatroom post reading, “I will be starting lone wolf operations in Las Vegas.” Robles told police he did not plan to carry out an attack; prosecutors argued his actions suggested otherwise, the paper reported.
Raid Turned Up Possible Bomb Components
Police raided Robles’ home on Nov. 29, 2023, and found components they said could be used to make an explosive device, according to 8 News Now. Documents cited by the station also indicated Robles had searched for information and floor plans tied to Chaparral High School.
A grand jury indicted Robles on charges including terrorism support, attempted terrorism, solicitation to aid or further an act of terrorism, and possession of an incendiary device, according to the Review-Journal’s account. Prosecutors said Robles participated in a chatroom with ISIS supporters and told detectives he liked ISIS execution videos. They also accused him of collecting bomb-making components, plotting against Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo and then-President Joe Biden, and possessing ISIS execution videos on his phone.
Prosecutor's Motion Detailed Alarming Allegations
In a motion, prosecutor Tanner Sharp alleged that Robles dressed as an ISIS soldier with a knife and flag, collected explosive components to make pipe bombs, and named Lombardo and Biden as targets. Sharp also wrote that Robles took steps toward violence by the end of November 2023 and that his phone contained names of ISIS leaders, bomb-making instructions and a poem fantasizing about violence toward Jewish people, according to the Review-Journal. Prosecutors separately said Robles had been suspended from Cannon Junior High School in 2020 after reports he threatened a school shooting.
During pretrial proceedings, Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill opposed releasing Robles on electronic monitoring. A notice from Metro attorneys said the sheriff considered release under any circumstances an unreasonable public-safety risk, the Review-Journal reported. A judge also rejected Robles’ attorney’s effort to dismiss the charge of soliciting another person to aid or further an act of terrorism, finding the argument unpersuasive.
What Comes Next
Robles was brought to court for a petition hearing at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas in October 2024 as the case moved through pretrial proceedings. The Review-Journal reported that prosecutors and defense attorneys did not agree to a specific sentence as part of the plea, leaving both sides to argue at the Dec. 7 sentencing hearing. The sentence has not yet been determined.
Broader Context on ISIS-Related Cases
The Department of Homeland Security’s 2025 Homeland Threat Assessment says foreign terrorist organizations, including ISIS, use media and online supporters to encourage violence in the United States. That broad assessment does not establish Robles’ motives or measure the scale of ISIS-related cases involving teenagers. A separate adult case involved different alleged conduct: the U.S. Department of Justice said 34-year-old Ammaad Akhtar pleaded guilty after attempting, between February and June 2025, to provide ISIS with funds, weapons and other equipment. The case offers a documented comparison, but it does not establish an outcome for Robles beyond his guilty plea.
