can Muslims captured in Pakistan are being questioned by FBI agents for having possible links to terror groups.
Pakistani police said they have arrested five men aged between 19 and 25 after a raid on the house of a member of militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad, in the town of Sargodha in the eastern province of Punjab.
Although they have not been identified, officials say they are all US nationals, including three of Pakistani descent, one of Egyptian descent and one of Yemeni descent.
Relatives raised the alarm after the men, all students based in northern Virginia, left their families a chilling farewell video saying all Muslims must be defended, before disappearing in late November.
After the recent case of David C Headley, another American of Pakistani origin, who pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges, this will cause even greater concern among Americans who fear terror networks are recruiting within the US.
President Barack Obama did not wish to comment on the situation but did say: 'What has been remarkable over the course of the last eight or 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.'
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which was contacted by the families, declined to give the men's names, ages or nationalities but one of the men was identified as a dental student at Howard University in Washington.
Nihad Awad, CAIR's executive director, said: 'One person appeared in that video and they made references to the ongoing conflict in the world, and that young Muslims have to do something.'
'The video's about 11 minutes and it's like a farewell. And they did not specify what they would be doing, 'he added.
In a statement, the FBI said: 'We are working with Pakistan authorities to determine their identities and the nature of their business there, if indeed these are the students who had gone missing.
'Because this is an ongoing investigation, we will not be able to provide further details at this time.'
An FBI team is currently Pakistan and India, principally gathering evidence for the case of Mr Headly, 49, who is charged with plotting terror attacks in India and Denmark.
Pakistani police said they have arrested five men aged between 19 and 25 after a raid on the house of a member of militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad, in the town of Sargodha in the eastern province of Punjab.
Although they have not been identified, officials say they are all US nationals, including three of Pakistani descent, one of Egyptian descent and one of Yemeni descent.
Relatives raised the alarm after the men, all students based in northern Virginia, left their families a chilling farewell video saying all Muslims must be defended, before disappearing in late November.
After the recent case of David C Headley, another American of Pakistani origin, who pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges, this will cause even greater concern among Americans who fear terror networks are recruiting within the US.
President Barack Obama did not wish to comment on the situation but did say: 'What has been remarkable over the course of the last eight or 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.'
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which was contacted by the families, declined to give the men's names, ages or nationalities but one of the men was identified as a dental student at Howard University in Washington.
Nihad Awad, CAIR's executive director, said: 'One person appeared in that video and they made references to the ongoing conflict in the world, and that young Muslims have to do something.'
'The video's about 11 minutes and it's like a farewell. And they did not specify what they would be doing, 'he added.
In a statement, the FBI said: 'We are working with Pakistan authorities to determine their identities and the nature of their business there, if indeed these are the students who had gone missing.
'Because this is an ongoing investigation, we will not be able to provide further details at this time.'
An FBI team is currently Pakistan and India, principally gathering evidence for the case of Mr Headly, 49, who is charged with plotting terror attacks in India and Denmark.
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