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Enes Kanter is reportedly the subject of an arrest warrant issued Friday by Turkey, his home nation. The Oklahoma City Thunder center has been an outspoken critic of Turkish PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdogan, and he recently expressed gratitude at being back in the U.S., after he was detained on an overseas trip when the country revoked his passport.

According to AFP, Sabah Daily, a Turkish newspaper described as pro-government, reported that Kanter is being accused of membership in a terror group. Kanter, 25, has expressed support forFethullah Gulen, a Turkish cleric who is living in exile in Pennsylvania and who Erdogan blamed for a failed coup attempt last year.

In the aftermath of that attempt in July, with which Gulen denied any involvement and condemned, Erdogans regime swiftly carried out a violent crackdown. Hundreds of Turks were killed, and thousands more were rounded up on suspicions of having links to the coup attempt. Kanter, among others, has alleged it was really a plot by Erdogan to enable him to strike at his political enemies and establish a more authoritarian rule over Turkey.

[Turkey condemns U.S. over aggressive acts against Erdogans guards during D.C. visit]

You guys need to know what is going on in Turkey right now. I hope people around the world will open their eyes to the human rights abuses, Kanter wrote this week in an essay for The Players Tribune. Things have gotten very bad over the last year. This is not my opinion. We dont know everything that is happening inside Turkey, but we do know some facts. Newspapers and media have been restricted. Academics have been fired. Peaceful protesting is not allowed. Many people have been imprisoned without any real charges. There are reports of torture and rape and worse.

On Friday, Kanter posted to Twitter an image of the Sabah story, adding a caption in Turkish that said (per AFPs translation), You cannot catch me. Hahaha. Dont waste your energy.

I am already going to come to [Turkey] to spit on all of your ugly, hate-filled faces.

From the AFP report:

A judge issued the arrest warrant after an Istanbul prosecutor opened an investigation into Kanters alleged membership of an armed terrorist organization, Sabah Daily reported.

The arrest warrant refers to Kanters alleged use of an encrypted messaging application called Bylock, Sabah said, which Turkey claims was especially created for Gulen supporters.

It also referred to Kanters praise for a terror organization in messages via his social media accounts, the daily reported.

Sabah also reported that the prosecutor had applied for an Interpol notice, one that would alert the 190 countries with membership in the global policing organization that Turkey was seeking Kanters deportation.

On Saturday, Kanter posted a video from the Romanian airport, claiming he was unable to travel any further becauseof his political views and calling Erdogan the Hitler of our century. With help from the Thunder, the Department of Homeland Security and both Oklahoma senators, he was able to travel to London and then on to New York, where he held a news conference Monday detailing his scary experience.

It was scary because there was a chance they might send me back to Turkey, Kanter told reporters. And if they send me back to Turkey, probably you guys wouldnt hear a word from me the second day. It would have definitely gotten really ugly.

Kanter has a green card for the United States, but he said Monday that he was country-less and open to adoption by the nation where he first arrived in 2009 to play one year at a prep school. Kanter committed to Kentucky but was ruled ineligible by the NCAA because he had previously been paid to play for a top Turkish squad; he was drafted by the Jazz in 2011 and traded to the Thunder in 2015.

[LeBron James passes Michael Jordan as NBAs all-time playoff scoring leader]

I want you guys to think about what the Turkish government means when they say that I am a dangerous man, Kanter said in his essay. Ive never broken any laws. No speeding tickets, nothing. But Im dangerous? Why?

I speak my mind about things that I believe in, he wrote. I always have. I share my thoughts on Twitter and Facebook about the terrible things that are being done to people in Turkey. I want the whole world to know about the human rights abuses that are going on there.

To the Erdogan government, this makes me a dangerous man.

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Enes Kanter reportedly subject of arrest warrant by Turkey - Washington Post

BRUSSELS European Council president Donald Tusk yesterday stressed the importance of human rights in talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, amid tensions over Ankara's long-delayed European Union accession process.

Mr Tusk, who heads the council of 28 EU member state leaders, and European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker met the Turkish President ahead of a Nato summit in Brussels.

"I put the question of human rights in the centre of our discussions," Mr Tusk tweeted after the talks, which had begun with a brief and cordial handshake for photographers.

A spokesman for Mr Juncker said: "The EU and Turkey must and will continue to cooperate. Major issues of common interest were discussed in detail in a good and constructive atmosphere."

At another meeting on the margins of the Nato summit, Mr Erdogan promised French President Emmanuel Macron that he would "rapidly" look into the case of jailed French photojournalist Mathias Depardon, Mr Macron's office said.

According to press freedom group Reporters Without Borders, the photojournalist, who has been held in Turkey for more than two weeks, has begun a hunger strike.

The Turkish authorities have said he was detained over "propaganda for a terror group" - which is a reference to outlawed Kurdish militants.

Ahead of his trip to Brussels, Mr Erdogan said it was up to Brussels to decide whether it wants Turkey as a member of the bloc.

Speaking to reporters before leaving for Brussels, he said Turkey would not behave like a "beggar" to gain membership.

Speeding up the membership process was a key condition set by Turkey in a landmark agreement with the EU in March last year to reduce migrant flows into Europe from war-torn Syria.

But relations between the bloc and Ankara soured after a failed coup attempt in July last year, and they worsened further during the campaign for last month's referendum on strengthening Mr Erdogan's powers.

The EU has expressed concern over the sacking and jailing of tens of thousands of soldiers, police, teachers and civil servants since the failed coup.

In the run-up to the referendum, which Mr Erdogan narrowly won, he had mooted reimposing the death penalty - a move that would automatically end Turkey's EU bid.

Earlier this month, he told Brussels that it had no other option than to open new "chapters", or policy areas, in Turkey's long- stalled accession talks, which began in 2005.

Most EU states, led by Germany, officially oppose freezing the accession talks, but Austria has repeatedly called for a halt.

This prompted Turkey to veto all Nato cooperation with neutral Austria, although the crisis was partially resolved with a deal on Tuesday.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS

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EU stresses human rights in talks with Turkey's Erdogan - The Straits Times

Lucy Usoyan doesnt remember all of the details of the brutal beating she suffered at the fists and feet of a group of men in front of the Turkish embassy in Washington, D.C. last week.

But after beingshown a picture of Eyup Yildirim on Wednesday, she says that the 50-year-old supporter of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was one of the goons who savagely kicked her while she was curled up in a ball during the melee.

Absolutely, Usoyan told The Daily Caller on Wednesday after reviewing Yildirims Facebook page to see if he was one of the men who assaulted her.

Yildirim, the owner of a construction company in New Jersey, was one of the most visible figures spotted in videos recorded of last weeks attack.

Completely bald and wearing a white shirt, Yildirim joined dozens of other Turkish men in a full-frontal assault on a group of peaceful Kurdish protesters gathered outside the embassy.

The attackers were a mixture of supporters of Erdogan and bodyguards working for the authoritarian ruler. Erdogan was at the embassy following a White House visit with President Trump.

He watched the blitz from his black Mercedes Benz parked near the Turkish embassy. One video even shows Erdogan passing instructions to his immediate bodyguard just moments before the fight broke out on the street in front of the embassy.

In one video recorded by the Turkish affiliate of Voice of America, Yildirim and other men were seen kicking Usoyan as she lay curled up on the sidewalk.

The video shows that after several kicks, Yildirim turned to assaulting Seyid Reza Dersimi, a Kurdish man who was attempting to protect Usoyan.(RELATED: Video Shows Erdogan Watching As His Goons Attack Peaceful Protesters)

But Dersimi was outnumbered. Yildirim and several other men, including two wearing suits, began stomping and booting Dersimi, who ended up with his face covered in blood.

Washington, D.C. police officers meekly corralled the assailants, eventually pushing them back across the street.

Eyup Yildirim, in white, seen kicking Lucy Usoyan outside of Turkish embassy, May 16, 2016. (Courtesy Voice of America Turkish)

Usoyan, a Kurdish woman who heads the Ezidi Relief Fund, told The Daily Caller that she blacked out while being assaulted.

She says she has been to the hospital twice since the beating. She says she was given an MRI which revealed what she called a minor brain injury.

She was told she will need six weeks to fully recover.

Lucy Usoyan (right, in maroon pants) after being attacked at Turkish embassy, May 16, 2017. (Youtube screen grab via VOA Turkish)

Dersimi also confirmed Yildirims involvement during a phone interview.

Both said that Yildirim was acting aggressively and cursing before he and Erdogans other henchman attacked.

TheDC was able to reach Yildirim on Wednesday at a phone number listed for his construction company, Care Construction.

I dont know what youre talking about, he said when asked about his involvement in last weeks violence. He ended the phone call after being asked for comment.

Eyup Yildirim (in white) standing over Seyid Reza Dersimi during brawl at Turkish embassy, May 16, 2017. (Courtesy VOA Turkish)

***

The incident, which left at least 11 protesters injured, has touched off a diplomatic stalemate between the U.S. and Turkey, a NATO ally.

The State Department says it has raised its concerns at the highest possible levels of the Turkish government. The agency also summoned Turkeys ambassador, Serdar Kilic, to the State Department.

Kilic was seen in one video recorded last Tuesday telling Washington, D.C. police officers that you cannot touch us a likely reference to diplomatic protections provided to embassy staff.(RELATED: Audio Analysis: Erdogan Goons Were Told To Attack Protesters)

U.S. lawmakers have also blasted the Turkish government. Arizona Sen. John McCain said that the U.S. should kick Kilic the hell out of the country.The House Armed Services Committee is also holding a hearing over the incident on Thursday.

The Turkish foreign ministry responded to the U.S. criticism by registering a complaint with the U.S. government for violating its diplomats rights under international diplomatic law.

Given that Yildirim is not an official diplomatic agent for Turkey, and therefore not protected by international diplomatic agreements, it is unclear why he was not apprehended last Tuesday or why he has not been arrested since.

***

Yildirim was identified by TheDC through his small social media footprint.

In the days after the attack, heposted a message on the Facebook page of Ayhan Ozmekik, the president of the Turkish & American Youth Education Foundation and a leader in the U.S. arm of AKP, an Islamist party which Erdogan co-founded in 2001.

The Facebook page for Yildirim includes videos recorded in Washington, D.C. last week. He has also posted photos of a truck bearing logos of Care Construction.

Ozmekik, who is also executive director of the U.S.-based non-profit group, the Turkish Institute for Progress, posted a photo on his Facebook page with a group of men, including Yildirim and several others involved in last weeks attack.

One of the other men in that photo is Alpkenan Dereci.

A Canadian citizen, Dereci was also a highly visible participant in last weeks violence. Clad in a bright yellow shirt, Dereci received a large gash in his head during the attack on the protesters.

Halil Mutlu, cousin of Recep Erdogan, and Eyup Yildirim (right). (Youtube screen grab)

Also in the photo posted by Ozmekik is Mustafa Tuncer, a Turkish-American businessman who until last week was an executive with a group called the Turkish American Steering Committee (TASC).

As TheDC reported last week, TASC was identified in an internal State Department memo as having some sort of involvement in last weeks event.

That memo, a summary of which was provided to TheDC, stated that the State Department found that some of the men involved in the attack were protected under diplomatic immunity. Others had been hired from within the Turkish-American community. It is unclear whether TASC was involved in hiring additional security detail for Erdogan.

Tuncer announced late last week that he was leaving TASC in order to spend more time with family. But he is the executive director for another group supported by Yildirim.

A Facebook post from April 2014 shows that Yildirim attended an event hosted by MUSIAD USA, a U.S.-Turkey trade group. Tuncer is executive director of the group.

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IDENTIFIED: Meet The Erdogan Goon Who Brutally Kicked A Female Protester At Turkish Embassy [VIDEO] - The Daily Caller

New York Times

US|Did the Turkish President's Security Detail Attack Protesters in Washington? What the Video Shows New York Times The New York Times reviewed videos and photos to track the actions of 24 men, including armed members of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's security detail, who attacked protesters in Washington last week. Many of the protesters were American citizens. and more »

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US|Did the Turkish President's Security Detail Attack Protesters in Washington? What the Video Shows - New York Times

A video of last weeks vicious attack on American protesters in Washington, D.C., may show the moment an order was given to set Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans beefy security gang upon the demonstrators.

Its not clear who gave the order last Tuesday to attack protesters across the street from the Turkish ambassadors house. But in a video taken by Voice of America, a U.S. government-funded news source, someone can be heard saying what sounds like Come, come, come! and He says attackin Turkish, three university language experts told U.S. News & World Report on Saturday.

During the assaults, at least 20 men in suits raced to the protesters and repeatedly kicked and slugged them in a brutal attack. Washington police were outnumbered and overwhelmed as they tried to protect the demonstrators, at least nine of whom were eventually sent to the hospital.

Another VOA video shows Erdogan, shortly after meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump that morning, sitting in a limo across the street, in front of the Turkish ambassadors house, during the protest. The video analyzed in freeze framesby The Washington Post shows an aide talking to Erdogan through a window. The aide then speaks to another man, who in turn heads quickly toward the protest. The gang of security men descend upon the demonstrators within seconds. A third man standing near Erdogans limo is seen in the video attacking protesters.

The video appears to show the attacks were unprovoked.

The U.S. State Department has expressed its dismayto the Turkish government about the violence. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was blunter, saying the Turkish ambassador should get the hell out of the U.S.

We should throw their ambassador the hell out of the United States of America, McCain said last week on MSNBCs Morning Joe. This isnt Turkey. This isnt a third-world country.

The violence should have repercussions, including identifying these people and bringing charges against them, McCain said. They violated American laws.

McCain and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) sent a joint letter to Erdogan denouncing his staffs blatant violation of American rights.

The violent response of your security detail to peaceful protestors is wholly unacceptable and, unfortunately, reflective of your governments treatment of the press, ethnic minority groups and political opponents, the senators statement said.

The Turkish Embassy blamed the violence on the demonstrators, claiming they were aggressively provoking Turkish-American citizens who had peacefully assembled to greet Erdogan and that the security detail was protecting them.The video does not support that account.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told Fox News Sunday that the Trump administration wont take any further action until after an investigation.

You dont need further information, McCain said later on the same program. Just look at the clip.

The president has a major business interest in Turkey Trump Towers Istanbul.

I have a little conflict of interest cause I have a major, major building in Istanbul, Trump said in a 2015 interview on a Breitbart radio program. Its tremendously successful. Its called Trump Towers two towers, instead of one.

In the VOA footage, the words gel, gel, gel come, come, come can be heard, followed by daln diyor he says attack, according to the translators.

Local police and the Secret Service are also investigating. Very few arrests were made because the police had their hands full protecting protesters. Its also not clear how many of the attackers may have had diplomatic immunity.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren(D-Calif.) last week called for the arrest and prosecution of the thugs in Erdogans security detail.

If Erdogans bodyguards who participated in this attack have entered the country on diplomatic visas, those visas should be revoked right away,she said. The United States needs to send a strong message that we will not stand by as Erdogan brings thuggish tactics to our nations capital.

Erdogan was elected head of the ruling AK Party on Sunday. Observers expect this will enable him to even further solidify his power in his country.

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Video May Show The Order That Sent Erdogan's Guards To Beat ...