CHICAGO (AP) – A Chicago man has been charged with using social media to recruit people to fight for the Islamic State group.

Ashraf Al Safoo appeared in federal court Friday on a charge of conspiring to support a terrorist organization. A judge read the charge and returned the 34-year-old to jail to await a detention hearing next Thursday.

A 58-page criminal complaint describes Al Safoo as lead writer of a group that distributes IS propaganda, including violent videos.

The FBI quotes Al Safoo as telling his allies, “Participate in the war. Spread fear.”

It wasn’t immediately known if Al Safoo has a lawyer who could comment on the case. He told Magistrate Judge David Weisman that he has a master’s degree in computer science.