Turkey Reportedly Seeking International Arrest Warrant for NBA Player
Turkish prosecutors are seeking an international arrest warrant for New York Knicks player Enes Kanter, accusing him of membership in a terror organization.
Sabah newspaper says the Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office had also prepared an extradition request for the NBA player.
Officials at the prosecutor’s office could not be reached by The Associated Press for comment.
Kanter, who didn’t go with the Knicks this week for their game in London because he feared he could be killed over his opposition to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, responded on Twitter that the Turkish government could not present “any single piece of evidence of my wrongdoing.”
“I don’t even have a parking ticket in the U.S.,” he wrote Wednesday.
Turkish Government can NOT present any single piece of evidence of my wrongdoing. ?♂️
I don’t even have a parking ticket in the US ? (True)
I have always been a law-abiding resident. ? https://t.co/DxLgvFcTST
— Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) January 16, 2019
The only thing I terrorize is the rim ? pic.twitter.com/T9mk3bkzKR
— Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) January 16, 2019
Kanter has been an outspoken critic of Erdogan, and his Turkish passport was revoked in 2017.
This time, Sabah says prosecutors are seeking an Interpol “Red Notice” citing Kanter’s ties to exiled Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is blamed for a failed coup in 2016, and accusing him of providing financial support to his group.
Kanter said he feared assassination if he left the U.S. or Canada when he announced last week that he wouldn’t travel with the Knicks, who play the Washington Wizards at The O2 Arena on Thursday. The team said at the time Kanter wouldn’t make the trip because of a visa issue.
Kanter denied that was the problem, even posting a photo of a travel document on social media, and made it clear his issue was his safety because of Ergodan, whom he has referred to as “the Hitler of our century.”
“They’ve got a lot of spies there,” he said. “I think I can get killed there easy. It would be a very ugly situation.”
Enes Kanter says he’s not going to London with Knicks because he fears for his life due to “that freaking lunatic, the Turkish president. There’s a chance that I can get killed out there.” pic.twitter.com/NvRDSHWB4V
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) January 5, 2019
While the Knicks are overseas, Kanter has posted a number of photos of himself meeting with U.S. lawmakers.
Today I had the honor of meeting with @Enes_Kanter to discuss human rights abuses in #Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Moved by this young man’s bravery in standing up for the rights of his fellow Turkish citizens. pic.twitter.com/FZUZuhI2M6
— Senator Rubio Press (@SenRubioPress) January 15, 2019
He also wrote an opinion piece in The Washington Post explaining his decision and his reasons for standing against Ergodan.
“My decision not to travel to London was difficult from a competitive standpoint but much easier from a safety one,” he wrote. “It helps puts a spotlight on how a dictator is wrecking Turkey — people have been killed, thousands are unjustly imprisoned, and countless lives have been ruined. That is no game.”
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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