A Russian Sukhoi Su-24 bomber, similar to the one that was allegedly shot down by two Turkish pilots | Paul Gypteay/AFP via Getty Images Turkish pilots who downed Russian jet arrested over coup plot Vladimir Putin expressed support for his Turkish counterpart after coup attempt.

Two Turkish pilots accused of shooting down a Russian plane near the Turkish-Syrian border last November were arrested in the wake of Friday's failed military coup, AFP reports.

The downing of a Russian jet by Turkish military caused a diplomatic row between the two countries, with Russian President Vladimir Putin calling it "a stab in the back," until Moscow and Ankara agreed to restore relations last month.

"Two pilots who were part of the operation to down the Russian Su-24 in November 2015 are in custody" over links with the failed coup, a Turkish official told journalists.

Putin called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan after Friday's coup attempt, deeming it "completely unacceptable" and expressing hope that stability would return, the Kremlin said in a statement. The two leaders plan to meet in August, according to Turkish state media.

The Turkish government launched a crackdown on dissenting voices after the failed coup, announcing it had either arrested or suspended as many as 9,000 interior ministry officials, thousands of judges, military personnel and prosecutors, 77 regional governors, and 8,000 police.