ISTANBUL, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Turkish police on Monday detained at least 21 suspects, over their alleged links to a network accused of masterminding a failed coup in 2016, local media reported.

Police launched simultaneous operations against the suspects in 54 locations across Istanbul, the Hurriyet daily said.

The majority of the detainees were former teachers who worked either for the schools run by the network or educational institutions of the state, according to the daily.

Ankara blames Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based Turkish cleric and his network of directing the July 2016 putsch, in which 250 people were killed.