Istanbul, Turkey: A military aide to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was taken into custody on Sunday accused of involvement in the attempted coup, the state-run news agency Anadolu reported.

Colonel Ali Yazici, who had only started working for Erdogan in August last year, is one of about 6,000 people detained in a massive crackdown since Friday’s coup bid.

He was in Ankara at the time of the putsch, while Erdogan was on holiday in the Mediterranean resort of Mamaris, CNN Turk television reported.

It was not immediately known what role he was accused of having in the bid to overthrow Erdogan’s government.

Those detained in the mass arrests include senior army commanders, judges and prosecutors and the crackdown has raised alarm bells in the internatonal community.

Suspects are being charged with ‘membership of an armed terrorist organisation’ and ‘attempting to overthrow the government of the Turkish republic using force and violence’, the Hurriyet Daily News reported.

Erdogan accuses his ally turned sworn enemy Fethullah Gulen of leading the ‘terorist group’ and orchestrating the coup, allegations the US-based Islamic cleric denies.