Report: Turkey seeks warrant for Knicks’ Kanter
Enes Kanter explains why he will not be traveling to London with the Knicks to play the Wizards. (0:47)
Turkish prosecutors are seeking an international arrest warrant for New York Knicks center 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.
The newspaper says prosecutors are seeking an Interpol “Red Notice” citing Kanter’s ties to Fethullah Gulen, who is blamed for a failed coup in 2016, and accusing him of providing financial support to his group. Officials at the prosecutor’s office could not be reached for comment.
Kanter reacted to the report in a tweet 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
According to Interpol, a Red Notice is a request to locate and provisionally arrest an individual pending extradition. For Kanter to be extradited, the United States would have to be convinced that Kanter committed a crime prosecutable in the U.S.
In November, Turkey made similar extradition requests for more than 80 people that the country said were linked to Gulen.
Earlier this month, Kanter refused to travel to London for a regular-season NBA game, saying he feared he could be assassinated for his opposition to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Kanter’s Turkish passport was revoked in 2017.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.