Enes Kanter Accused by Turkey of Being Member of Terror Group

Prosecutors in Turkey are seeking an international arrest warrant for Enes Kanter who plays center for the New York Knicks. The Turkish prosecutors have accused Kanter of being part of a terror organization.

Turkey’s Sabah newspaper said the chief prosecutor’s office in Istanbul had prepared a request for extradition for the NBA center. The Turkish daily said prosecutors were seeking a “Red Notice” by Interpol. It cited the ties they say Kanter has to Fethullah Gulen, an exiled Muslim cleric.

Turkey’s government blames Gulen for a failed coup during 2016 and says Kanter has provided financial support to the organization.

On Wednesday, Kanter tweeted that the Turkish government does not have any proof. He added that he has always been a law abiding resident.

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A “Red Notice” says Interpol is a request to provisionally arrest someone pending extradition. If Kanter were to be extradited, the U.S. would have to be convinced he committed a crime that was prosecutable in the United States.

In November, officials in Turkey submitted similar requests for extradition for over 80 people they said had links to Gulen.

Kanter would not travel with the Knicks to London earlier in January for Thursday’s game with the Washington Wizards saying that he feared for his life for being opposed to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Kanter has been critical of Erdogan and in 2017 had his Turkish passport revoked.

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He told the media that he feared he would be assassinated if he left the United States or Canada when last week he announced he would not be traveling with this team to London. At that time, the Knicks said Kanter was not traveling due to a visa issue.

Enes Kanter has met with several U.S. lawmakers while the Knicks are in London and he wrote a piece that was published in The Washington Post that explained his reasons for opposing Erdogan.

Enes Kanter says Erdogan is wrecking Turkey as people are being killed, thousands have been unjustly put in prison, and too many lives to count have been ruined.