Kanter, who plays in the NBA for Oklahoma City Thunder, is a long-time supporter of Pennsylvania-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, whose extradition Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan is seeking in relation to a failed coup last July. "I'm being held at Romanian airport by police," Kanter wrote on his Twitter account, along with a photo of him with his arms around two police officers and a video describing what he said was his situation. Their families deny any involvement in the coup and said they held valid visas in Malaysia, but police said the trio technically became illegal immigrants when Turkey cancelled their passports. “You know because the reason behind it is just of course my political views.”

Mr Kanter said he was held for several hours, accusing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of being a “dictator” and the “Hitler of our century”. Image copyright Twitter Image caption The professional athlete did not seem to hold a grudge against local police

In a statement - accompanied on social media by a photo of the sports star with police - border officials said he was detained at around 13:00 (12:00 GMT) after arriving on a plane from Frankfurt. "At the border checkpoint it was discovered that his passport is not valid, his travel document being annulled by the issuing state," the statement said, adding he then flew on to London. The sportsman severed ties with his family last year and publicly announced his support for Mr Gulen after Turkish media published a letter signed by his father, disowning his son.
Enes Kanter, a Turkish basketballer playing in the American National Basketball Association, is detained at Henri Coandă International Airport after his Turkish passport was cancelled.