A total of 45 people, including Fetullah Terrorist Organization-linked suspects, were held in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a security source said on Saturday.

The authorities dispatched security forces to the coastal city of Girne after receiving a tip that the group was preparing to escape to Greece, said the security source on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.

Nine children and 17 women were among those held.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.