Turkish Interior Minister, Ali Yerlikaya, on Monday said security forces have detained 45 people in nationwide raids over the past week for alleged links to a coup attempt in 2016.

The detained are accused of links to the Gulen movement, which Ankara blames for the failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016.

Yerlikaya said on social media platform X that the operations conducted by gendarmerie teams named “Clamp-38” were carried out in 22 provinces.

He said that out of the 45 detained, 24 have been formally arrested, eight have been placed under judicial control, while legal processes for the remaining detainees are underway.

The suspects allegedly communicated with leaders of the Gulen movement via pay phones, financed the group, and spread propaganda on social media, Yerlikaya said.

The Turkish government has long accused Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based cleric, of orchestrating the 2016 coup attempt, which resulted in at least 250 deaths.

Following the coup, Ankara launched a widespread crackdown targeting individuals suspected of having ties to the Gulen movement. (Xinhua/NAN)