Five young Americans who have appeared in a Pakistan court have claimed torture while in detention.

The men were arrested in Pakistan on suspicion of trying to join militant Islamist groups.

Pakistani police have insisted the men have not been mistreated and had never made any such allegations before they were taken to the courtroom on Monday.

While outside the court, the five shouted to assembled media in English that they were being mistreated.

The young Americans are between the ages of 19 and 25 and are being held in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province.

They were arrested at the home of a leader of the banned militant group Jaish-e-Muhammad in December.

Pakistani police have alleged the men travelled to Pakistan to join a holy war and had confessed to having plans to travel to the Taliban stronghold in North Waziristan.

The arrested men are from the Washington area and are of Pakistani, Yemeni, Eritrean and Egyptian origin.