(CNN) -- Yemeni-American cleric and militant Anwar al-Awlaki appeared in a new video message Saturday, saying that Islam is in "severe need for guidance in these dark situations" and that the religion is "exposed to fateful dangers".
In the limited portion of the video that was immediately available to CNN, al-Awlaki called on Muslim scholars to help address the situation.
Al-Awlaki has been linked to al Qaeda terrorists in Yemen, where he is believed to be in hiding.
U.S. officials say al-Awlaki helped recruit Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, the Nigerian man charged with trying to blow up a Northwest Airlines trans-Atlantic flight as it landed in Detroit, Michigan, on Christmas Day.
Al-Awlaki is also said to have exchanged e-mails with accused Fort Hood shooter, Maj. Nidal Hasan.
U.S. officials have confirmed that he is on a CIA and military hit list to be captured or killed.
CNN could not immediately verify the authenticity of the video, including when or where the taping took place. The video message was posted Saturday on the jihadist website Shumoukh al-Islam.
The video's release came on the same day that an American-born al Qaeda spokesman urged Muslims to carry out individual jihad in the United States and Europe in a new video.
CNN
