An Iraqi-born Chicago man faces the possibility of 130 years in prison after he was convicted of using social media to promote violent jihad and recruit operatives to carry out attacks on behalf of the Islamic State terror group. 

On Friday, Ashraf Al Safoo, 41, was convicted in federal court in Chicago following his arrest in 2018.

U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey found Al Safoo guilty on one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, one count of conspiracy to transmit threats in interstate commerce and one count of conspiracy to intentionally access a protected computer without authorization. 

Al Safoo was also convicted of four counts of intentionally accessing a protected computer without authorization and four counts of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization. 

The convictions carry a maximum penalty of 130 years in prison, and the defendant's sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 9. 

In a Friday press release, the U.S. Department of Justice cited court documents that described Al Safoo as the leader of Khattab Media Foundation, an internet organization that swore allegiance to IS (also known as ISIS or ISIL). 

The Khattab Media Foundation spread IS propaganda through videos, articles and infographics that the organization posted on social media sites and other online platforms. Al Safoo and other Khattab members worked under the direction of IS when creating content and posting it to social media websites. 

In one of the social media posts cited by the DOJ, Al Safoo told Khattab members to post pro-IS information "to cause confusion and spread terror within the hearts of those who disbelieved."

"Work hard, brothers, edit the issue into short clips, take the pictures out of it and publish the efforts of your brothers in the pages of the apostates," the Iraqi-born Chicago man wrote in another social media post. "Participate in the war, and spread terror, the [Islamic] State does not want you to watch it only, rather, it incites you, and if you are unable to, use it to incite others."

The content created and disseminated by Khattab celebrated violence and terrorism, including posts that encouraged "lone wolf" attacks in the United States.

The court documents highlighted an infographic that Khattab created in October 2017 of the Las Vegas shooter. The infographic distributed by the pro-IS organization contained Arabic writing and stated in English, "The Las Vegas Conquest."

Another video that Khattab created and distributed in December 2017 shows a present underneath a Christmas tree that contains a bomb with a ticking timer before cutting to a video of a mass shooting. 

The video then showed a computer-generated image of a family gathered around the Christmas tree, with a person in black standing behind them holding a detonator in his hand. Before the soldier with the detonator activated the bomb, the video showed images of various landmarks and cities, including Berlin, Brussels, London, Moscow, New York, Paris and Sydney. 

After the soldier is seen detonating the bomb, the video is engulfed in flames, ending with the Khattab logo. 

"Today's conviction demonstrates that the safety and security of the American public is always a top priority for me and my entire Office," U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros said in a statement. 

"The prosecution of Ashraf Al Safoo is a testament to the vigilance and dedication of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners who stand watch to disrupt and prevent dangerous threats before they materialize," Boutros continued. "We will vigorously pursue and bring to justice those who provide material support — in whatever form — to terrorist organizations."

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