The logo for the Daily Beast's Obsessed website. It reads: 'Obsessed: What to Watch, Binge, See, & Skip'
DAILY BEAST
Membership call to action crossword iconCrosswordNewsletters
  • Cheat Sheet
  • Obsessed
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Entertainment
  • Media
  • Innovation
  • Opinion
  • Reality TV
  • U.S. News
  • Scouted
CHEAT SHEET
    POLITICS
    • Biden World
    • Elections
    • Opinion
    • National Security
    • Congress
    • Pay Dirt
    • The New Abnormal
    • Trumpland
    MEDIA
    • Confider
    • Daytime Talk
    • Late-Night
    • Fox News
    U.S. NEWS
    • Identities
    • Crime
    • Race
    • LGBT
    • Extremism
    • Coronavirus
    WORLD
    • Russia
    • Europe
    • China
    • Middle East
    INNOVATION
    • Science
    TRAVEL
      ENTERTAINMENT
      • TV
      • Movies
      • Music
      • Comedy
      • Sports
      • Sex
      • TDB's Obsessed
      • Awards Shows
      • The Last Laugh
      CULTURE
      • Power Trip
      • Fashion
      • Books
      • Royalist
      TECH
      • Disinformation
      SCOUTED
      • Clothing
      • Technology
      • Beauty
      • Home
      • Pets
      • Kitchen
      • Fitness
      • I'm Looking For
      BEST PICKS
      • Best VPNs
      • Best Gaming PCs
      • Best Air Fryers
      COUPONS
      • Vistaprint Coupons
      • Ulta Coupons
      • Office Depot Coupons
      • Adidas Promo Codes
      • Walmart Promo Codes
      • H&M Coupons
      • Spanx Promo Codes
      • StubHub Promo Codes
      Products
      NewslettersPodcastsCrosswordsSubscription
      FOLLOW US
      GOT A TIP?

      SEARCH

      HOMEPAGE
      Worldvertical orientation badge

      Turkey Accuses Knicks Star Enes Kanter of Being a Terrorist

      ON THE OFFENSIVE

      The NBA player is an outspoken critic of Turkey’s president and has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

      Pilar Melendez

      Pilar Melendez

      Senior National Reporter

      Updated Jan. 16, 2019 8:11PM EST / Published Jan. 16, 2019 12:20PM EST 

      Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty

      Turkish prosecutors on Wednesday accused New York Knicks center Enes Kanter of being a member of a U.S. terror organization and requested Interpol assistance in securing an international arrest warrant.

      The pro-government Daily Sabah newspaper reported that the Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office had also prepared an extradition request for the 26-year-old NBA player, along with the Interpol "Red Notice.”

      “Turkish Government can NOT present any single piece of evidence of my wrongdoing,” Kanter tweeted on Wednesday morning. “I don’t even have a parking ticket in the US (True). I have always been a law-abiding resident.”

      In another post, Kanter captioned a video of himself dunking during a recent game: “The only thing I terrorize is the rim.”

      Turkish prosecutors alleged that Kanter, an outspoken critic of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, belongs to a movement founded by U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen—which Turkey regards as a terrorist organization allegedly behind the failed coup in 2016. Kanter, who is a Turkish national, allegedly provided financial support to Gulen’s group.

      In November, Turkey made similar extradition requests for more than 80 people that the country believes are linked to Gulen.

      “Anyone who speaks out against Erdogan is a target,” Kanter tweeted Tuesday night. “That includes me.”

      The attempted legal action against Kanter is the latest development in a months-long saga of hostility between the NBA star and the Turkish government.

      Earlier this month, Kanter revealed to The Daily Beast that he decided against traveling with the Knicks for this Thursday’s game against the Washington Wizards in London because he feared he could be assassinated over his opposition to the Turkish regime.

      “There’s a chance that I can get killed out there,” he said. “I want to be known for my game. But like I said, the Turkish government...”

        In a Washington Post op-ed describing his decision not to attend the international game, Kanter said he was a “target” for speaking about against the Turkish president, adding that “Erdogan wants me back in Turkey where he can silence me.”

        “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.”

        As for his alleged terrorist affiliations, Kanter, who has played in the NBA since 2011, admitted he is a “servant” of Gülen, but that the cleric is peaceful and did not plot against Turkey’s government. Both Gülen and Kanter have repeatedly denied any affiliation with any terrorist groups.

        “They claim I am a member of an ‘armed terrorist organization’ because I support Fethullah Gulen, a peaceful Turkish cleric living in exile in Pennsylvania,” he wrote. “Erdogan blames him for the attempted coup, but Gulen has repeatedly and emphatically denied involvement.”

        As previously reported by The Daily Beast, Kanter was charged in 2017 with “being a member of a terrorist organization” after he tweeted criticisms of Erdoğan’s repressive regime. Shortly after the charges were announced, Kanter’s Turkish passport was revoked.

          “On multiple occasions, Kanter has compared Erdoğan to Adolf Hitler, both online and off. Given the brutal purges enacted in the aftermath of the failed coup, the roundup and arrests of hundreds of thousands of citizens, the seizure of private businesses totaling billions in net worth, and the arrests of scores of journalists, it’s difficult to see how he’s violating Godwin’s law,” journalist Robert Silverman wrote in July.

          Officials at the prosecutor’s office could not be reached for comment but, according to Interpol, Turkey’s “Red Notice” request for Kanter asked the international body to locate and arrest the NBA star before extradition.

          For Kanter to be extradited, however, the United States would also have to prove that Kanter committed a crime that would be prosecuted under the Constitution.

          Pilar Melendez

          Pilar Melendez

          Senior National Reporter

          @pbmelendezPilar.Melendez@thedailybeast.com

          Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.

          READ THIS LIST

          DAILY BEAST
          • Cheat Sheet
          • Politics
          • Entertainment
          • Media
          • World
          • Innovation
          • U.S. News
          • Scouted
          • Travel
          • Subscription
          • Crossword
          • Newsletters
          • Podcasts
          • About
          • Contact
          • Tips
          • Jobs
          • Advertise
          • Help
          • Privacy
          • Code of Ethics & Standards
          • Diversity
          • Terms & Conditions
          • Copyright & Trademark
          • Sitemap
          • Best Picks
          • Coupons
          • Coupons:
          • Dick's Sporting Goods Coupons
          • HP Coupon Codes
          • Chewy Promo Codes
          • Nordstrom Rack Coupons
          • NordVPN Coupons
          • JCPenny Coupons
          • Nordstrom Coupons
          • Samsung Promo Coupons
          • Home Depot Coupons
          • Hotwire Promo Codes
          • eBay Coupons
          • Ashley Furniture Promo Codes
          © 2023 The Daily Beast Company LLC