Court releases NBA player's father: report

pulse

June 7, 2017 10:55 PM

A court in the northwestern province of Tekirdag released Mehmet Kanter under "judicial control".

NBA Player Enes Kanters father had been detained in Turkey connection with an inquiry into the movement led by US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen

Turkey released the father of NBA player Enes Kanter, an outspoken critic of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, local media reported on Wednesday.

A court in the northwestern province of Tekirdag released Mehmet Kanter under "judicial control", the equivalent of being freed under supervision, Dogan news agency said.

Kanter's father had been detained in connection with an inquiry into the movement led by US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, accused of ordering last July's coup bid.

Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania, vehemently denies the claims.

Kanter, 25, a centre for Oklahoma City Thunder, previously backed Gulen openly in Twitter postings after the attempted putsch, which led to his family disowning him and denouncing his support for Gulen.

Turkey issued an arrest warrant on May 26 for Kanter, who was born in Switzerland, after an investigation was launched into his alleged "membership of an armed terrorist organisation".

Ankara refers to the Gulen movement as the "Fethullah Terrorist Organisation" (FETO) but supporters like the NBA player call it a social initiative advocating human rights.

The player's passport was cancelled last month by Turkish authorities leading to Kanter, who has compared Erdogan to Adolf Hitler, being briefly detained in Romania.

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