Enes Kanter Held in Romania: Turkish NBA Star Says Anti-Erdogan Views Got Passport Revoked

Update: 5:01 p.m. EDT— NBA star Enes Kanter safely arrived in London after being held in a Romanian airport for hours after his Turkish passport was revoked, the New York Times reported Saturday. Kanter claimed in a video posted to Twitter that his documents were made invalid because of his political views and criticism of Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom he called "the Hitler of our century."

Kanter, who plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder, later tweeted "all good baby" and that he planned to hold a press conference in New York Sunday.

Original story:

NBA star Enes Kanter has said in a video posted to Twitter Saturday he's being held in a Romanian airport after his Turkish passport was revoked. The Oklahoma City Thunder forward said that as a stark critic of Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan—whom he called a modern day Adolf Hitler—he believes his political views are to blame for the situation.

The stakes could potentially be very high. "He is facing deportation to Turkey, where he'll likely be arrested," posted journalist Mahir Zeynalov, chief editor of The Globe Post who often covers issues in Turkey.

"We are in Romania and they said they cancelled my passport by [the] Turkish embassy" Kanter said in a video posted to Twitter Saturday morning. "They've been holding us here for hours by these two police. The reason behind it is of course my political views and the guy who did it is Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey. You guys know him [because] he attacked the people in Washington."

Kanter appeared to be referencing a brawl that broke out after Erdogan's security service attacked protesters in Washington, D.C. this week. Erdogan was in D.C. to meet with President Donald Trump in the White House.

"He's a bad, bad man," Kanter said of Erdogan in the video. "He's a dictator. He's the Hitler of our century. So, I will keep you posted, guys but just pray for us.

Kanter—whose birthday is Saturday—later posted a picture with the two police officers with the hashtag #FreeEnes, but there were not yet any updates on the situation in Romania.

Kanter is a supporter of Fethullah Gulen, a moderate imam who moved from Turkey to the U.S. who started an anti-Erdogan movement. Kanter previously said his family disowned him for his views.

"Today I lost my mother, father, brothers and sisters, my family and all my relatives," Kanter wrote in a letter, according to an ABC News translation. "My own father asked me to change my surname. My mother, who has given me life, disowned me. My brothers and sisters with which we have grown together ignore me."