The US State Department has questioned how parliamentarian Hani Noureddin, a former member of an Islamist group linked to terrorism, was given a US visa and met with American officials.

Noureddin was a MP in Egypt's now-dissolved post-revolution parliament. He was allegedly affiliated with a group that staged terrorist attacks in Egypt during the 1990s.

As a member of delegation of Egyptian legislators, Noureddin attended several meetings in both the White House and the State Department where in one of the meetings he confirmed being part of a group that was labelled a "terrorist group" by the US administration in 1997.

On the former MP's current situation, State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said "the situation remains unclear" as they are still looking into how Noureddin was granted a US visa.

"Our meeting with the Egyptian group focused on Egypt's transition to a civil democratic ruling that preserves human rights," added Nuland