BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romanian border police said Turkish authorities canceled the passport of Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter, who was briefly detained at a Romanian airport.
Spokesman Fabian Badila told The Associated Press on Monday that Kanter arrived Saturday at about 1 p.m. from Frankfurt at Bucharest’s Henri Coanda Airport, traveling on a Turkish passport.
“My colleagues discovered … that the passport had been canceled by Turkish authorities, and legally he is not allowed to enter Romania,” Badila said.
Badila said Kanter remained in the airport’s transit area and was told “he can leave wherever he wants.” He said Kanter took a flight at about 5 p.m. via London on his way to the United States.
Kanter, who is Turkish, said in a video Saturday on his Twitter account that he believed he was held because of his political views. He has been a critic of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and supports Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, who opposes Erdogan.
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