Istanbul, May 29 (IANS): The Turkish police on Wednesday detained nine police officers in the western province of Izmir over their alleged links to a network accused of orchestrating a coup attempt in 2016, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Six police officers currently serving in the Izmir Police Department, along with three former deputy police chiefs, were detained in a large-scale operation, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

The operation was launched by the Izmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office following the determination that the suspects were in contact with members of the Gulen movement, a network led by US-based Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen.

The network was accused by the government of infiltrating the state bureaucracy and then attempting a coup on July 15, 2016, which killed at least 250 people. Following the attempt, the government initiated a widespread crackdown on individuals suspected of having ties to the movement.