Gülen follower NBA star Enes Kanter eyes US cizitenship

NEW YORK

AFP photo

Oklahoma City center Enes Kanter has reported receiving death threats over his support for Fethullah Gülen, who is widely believed to have masterminded last year’s coup attempt in Turkey, noting that he may seek an expedited process to becoming a U.S. citizen.

Kanter was detained at an airport in Romania over the weekend, with local police saying they did so because Turkish authorities had canceled his passport. 

Kanter was eventually permitted to leave for London and then New York.

Kanter held a news conference in New York on May 22, saying he was the target of two more death threats earlier in the day.

“This is definitely crazy right now,” the Associated Press quoted him as saying. 

Kanter said he has not spoken to his parents and other relatives in Turkey in more than a year.

Kanter has a green card for entry to the U.S. but no passport, which is problematic for him on several fronts. 

He would not be able to enter Canada without the passport – a problem considering Oklahoma City plays once each season in Toronto, the official website of the NBA wrote. 

Kanter has been in the NBA for six seasons. He averaged 14.3 points and 6.7 rebounds this season for the Thunder. He said it is his understanding that the process to become a U.S. citizen can take five years, though he hopes that can be accelerated in his case.

“I feel like this is my home now,” Kanter said.