USA TODAY

The FBI is investigating whether the fatal stabbing of a visiting black student by a University of Maryland student who was a member of an online "Alt-Reich" group is a hate crime.

Sean Christopher Urbanski, 22, was charged Sunday with first- and second-degree murder and first-degree assault in the stabbing death of Richard Collins III, 23.

University of Maryland Police Chief David Mitchell said he asked the FBI to assist in the investigation after learning the suspect belonged to a Facebook group called "Alt-Reich: Nation," where members post disparaging material about African Americans and others.

While the Facebook group has since been deleted, many news outlets captured screen-grabs from Urbanski's page showing that he was a member.

Mitchell said the Facebook group was filled with "despicable" content, Heavy reported.

“When I looked at the information that’s contained on that website, suffice it to say that it’s despicable, it shows extreme bias against women, Latinos, members of the Jewish faith and especially African Americans,” Mitchell said, Heavy reported. “Which brings up questions as to the motive in this case. Knowing that we will continue to look for digital evidence, among other items of evidentiary value.

Dave Fitz, public affairs specialist at the Baltimore FBI office, told USA TODAY that the investigation is just starting and they are still in the information collecting stage.

"We will look at some of the digital forensics and see if there is anything there," he said. "We are still in evaluation mode, there hasn't been a determination either way if we are going to recommend hate crime charges."

On social media, many called on Facebook to remove other Alt-Reich Facebook groups and others questioned whether the Alt-Reich group was a nod to the alt-right movement.

Fitz said the FBI is looking into all connections, but it is too early to make those connections.

"Facebook needs to shut down #altReich hate groups. They mobilize and embolden racist idiots," @natalieroth tweeted.

The calls on Facebook to better deal with hate groups, comes on the heels of a report published Monday about how Facebook moderates content.

The report from The Guardian cites "more than 100 internal training manuals, spreadsheets and flowcharts," providing insight into how Facebook chooses which content you will see.

A key example is what comments are deemed "credible violence." For example, Facebook's policies would allow someone to write "let's beat up fat kids" but not "someone shoot Trump."

In a 2013 online post, Facebook reiterated that it has to make hard choices "and balance concerns about free expression and community respect."

"We prohibit content deemed to be directly harmful, but allow content that is offensive or controversial," Facebook said in a post. "We define harmful content as anything organizing real world violence, theft, or property destruction, or that directly inflicts emotional distress on a specific private individual (e.g. bullying)."

Collins, a Bowie State University student, was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army days before the attack. He was scheduled to graduate from Bowie State on Tuesday.

USA TODAY has reached out to the University of Maryland Police for comment.

Contributing: WUSA-TV, Washington, D.C.; and Brett Molina, USA TODAY.

Follow Mary Bowerman on Twitter: @MaryBowerman.