Turkey has reportedly issued an arrest warrant for Oklahoma City Thunder's Enes Kanter.
According to AFP and Yahoo News, Turkey issued an arrest warrant on Friday for Kanter, accusing him of being a member of a "terror group", pro-government newspaper Sabah Daily reported.
The newspaper reported that a judge issued the arrest warrant after an Istanbul prosecutor opened an investigation into Kanter's alleged "membership of an armed terrorist organisation." AFP and Yahoo News reported that Kanter previously backed Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen in Twitter postings after an attempted putsch last July aimed at ousting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Turkey accuses US-based Gulen of ordering the failed coup and refers to the movement as the "Fethullah Terrorist Organisation" (FETO). Gulen denies the claims, according to AFP and Yahoo News.
Sabah Daily reported the arrest warrant refers to Kanter's alleged use of an encrypted messaging application called Bylock, which Turkey claims was especially created for Gulen supporters.
Kanter was detained Saturday morning at an airport in Romania because the Turkish government canceled his passport. He later tweeted that he is OK and has returned to the U.S.
Kanter held a news conference Monday and said he routinely received death threats for criticizing the government of his native Turkey, and that he may seek an expedited process toward becoming a U.S. citizen.
SBR Top-Rated Sportsbooks
Turkey issues arrest warrant for Thunder's Enes Kanter
Reply With Quote
