Pakistan has arrested five Pakistanis who acted as informants for the U.S. intelligence agency ahead of the raid and killing of Osama bin Laden.

Western news agencies Wednesday confirmed a story in The New York Times that Pakistan's top military spy agency arrested the informants after the May 2 raid on bin Laden's hideout in the city of Abbotabad.

The detainees include a Pakistani army major who recorded the license plate numbers of cars visiting bin Laden's house. The fate of the detainees is not clear.

U.S. officials say the director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, Leon Panetta, raised the issue of the detained informants with military and intelligence officials in Pakistan during a visit to the country last week. A CIA spokeswoman told The New York Times the agency has a strong relationship with its Pakistani counterparts and works through issues when they arise.

Relations between Washington and Islamabad have been tense since bin Laden's capture.