Washington, Dec. 11 (ANI): US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that the US officials have met the five American Muslims, who were arrested from Pakistan’s Sargodha area on Wednesday on charges of plotting terror strikes.

Clinton told media persons that US officials have confirmed that the men, all in their early 20s, have ties with Al-Qaeda, The News reports.

Earlier, President Barack Obama said that a series of investigations would be carried out to investigate the whole issue.

A statement released by the White House quoted Obama as telling a news conference in Norway that the arrests of the men, who were purportedly on their way to the Taliban’s ‘jihad’ camp, would be thoroughly investigated.

“I think the details are still forthcoming. There will undoubtedly be a series of investigations surrounding these events, so I’d prefer not to comment on them at this point,” Obama said.

Obama also assured the American Muslim Community that the arrests of the five men, who were reported missing from Virginia from last month, does not reflect their loyalty to the US.

“I think what has been remarkable over the course of the last eight, nine years since 9/11 is the degree to which America has reaffirmed the extraordinary contributions of the Muslim American community and how they have been woven into the fabric of our nation in a seamless fashion,” he said. (ANI)