Clinton, speaking on Monday in the United Arab Emirates, made the comment in response to a question about the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, carried out by Al-Qaeda.

At a televised town hall-style meeting, Clinton was asked why US opinion often appears to blame the entire Arab world for 9/11. Clinton said this was due to misperceptions and the media impact of political violence.

"We have extremists in my country. A wonderful, incredibly brave young woman Congress member, Congresswoman Giffords, was just shot by an extremist in our country," she added.

"We have the same kinds of problems. So rather than standing off from each other, we should work to try to prevent the extremists anywhere from being able to commit violence."

The US government has charged the 22-year-old suspected shooter with trying to assassinate Giffords by shooting her in the head during a rampage that killed six people and wounded 14 in Tucson, Arizona.

The shooting has fueled debate about extreme political rhetoric in the United States after an acrimonious campaign for congressional elections in November.