Police in Ankara detained 171 people for alleged links to a 2016 coup attempt in Turkey, state news agency Anadolu reports.

The news agency reported on Tuesday that a total of 260 suspects, seven of them abroad, were being sought after warrants were issued by the chief public prosecutor in the capital.

The suspects allegedly used ByLock, an encrypted mobile phone application to communicate with other members of what Turkey says is a “terrorist organisation” behind the failed coup.

Ankara blamed the July 15, 2016, attempted coup led by a faction in the military on Fethullah Gulen.

However, the U.S.-based Islamic cleric has denied any involvement.

The report says Turkey calls Gulen’s movement a “terrorist organisation.”

In the crackdown that followed the coup attempt, tens of thousands of people were sacked from the police, military, and judiciary, while hundreds more, including academics and journalists, were arrested.

The shadow of 2016 is ever-present in Turkey as near-daily raids and detentions continue of those allegedly linked to the plotters, as do trials. (NAN)