Iraqi security forces arrested dozens of interior ministry officials apparently accused of participating in a plot to restore Saddam Hussein's banned party.

"I can confirm that dozens of interior ministry officials have been arrested by a force affiliated to Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki," a source from the Interior Ministry told Xinhua on condition of anonymity on Thursday.

The source refused to tell the exact number of the detainees or their identities.

According to local media reports, Iraqi security forces arrested 50 interior ministry officials for plotting a coup against the Shiite-led government.

They said that the detainees are linked to the al-Awda (the Return), a secret group linked to Saddam Hussein's Baath Party which was ruling Iraq before the U.S.-led invasion 2003.

Earlier, the U.S. New York Times reported that some 35 officials in the Iraqi interior ministry were arrested, including ministry's director of internal affairs Ahmed Abu Ragheef.

The report said that a top ministry official said that those arrested with al-Awda links paid bribes to officers to recruit them, and that large amounts of money have been found during the arrest operations.