Father of pro-Gulenist NBA player detained in Turkey pending investigation

ISTANBUL, Turkey—The father of US-based Turkish basketball player, Enes Kanter, has been detained in his home in Istanbul on Friday pending an investigation on his views towards Gulan, as reported by Anadolu news agency.

 

Soon after the failed coup attempt last year, Kanter’s family in Turkey publicly disowned him due to his political views and support for Gülen. His father was then dismissed from his position as a professor at Trakya University in the northwestern part of the country.

Enes Kanter is also the subject of an arrest warrant based on his outspoken political views and support of the group that Ankara claims masterminded last year’s failed coup attempt.

 

Since immigrating to the US, Kanter has become a vocal supporter of the Hizmet Movement of preacher Fethullah Gülen, the founder of the Gülen movement that has been blamed for orchestrating the failed coup in Turkey on July 16, 2016. 

 

On May 20, Kanter was traveling to Turkey, only to find out in Romania that his Turkish passport had been cancelled. After several hours of being stranded in Romania, the US Department of Homeland Security assisted him in flying through London and returning to the US.

 

On Friday, Kanter took to Twitter to comment on the situation. Per his Twitter account, he stated, “Hey world. My dad had been arrested by Turkish government and the Hitler of our century, he is potentially to get tortured as thousands of others,” lashing out with the same expression used in a news conference he held last month after his return to the US.

Gulen, who has taken exile in the US since 1999, has denied any involvement in the coup.

Kanter retains US residency to play for the popular National Basketball Association (NBA) team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he is paid around $18 million per year.