CONTROVERSIAL online influencer and former professional kickboxer Andrew Tate has been detained in Romania on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group, authorities confirmed.
The self-described misogynist, who has been banned from a number of social media platforms for misogynistic comments and hate speech, was arrested together with his brother and two other suspects, according to reports.
They would be detained for 24 hours, prosecutors from the anti organised-crime unit said in a statement after raiding their properties in Bucharest.
The Tate brothers have been under criminal investigation since April.
They declined to comment but their lawyer confirmed they had been detained.
A spokesperson for Tate, a British national, told the Daily Mirror he could not provide any details regarding the reports. “However, Andrew and Tristan Tate have the utmost respect for the Romanian authorities and will always assist and help in any way they can.”
Six women who were allegedly sexually exploited by the organised criminal group have been identified, per a translated statement from the investigators.
“The four suspects … appear to have created an organised crime group with the purpose of recruiting, housing and exploiting women by forcing them to create pornographic content meant to be seen on specialised websites for a cost,” prosecutors said.
“They would have gained important sums of money.”
Earlier this week, climate activist Greta Thunberg told the reality TV star to get a life on Twitter after he told her he owned 33 cars with “enormous emissions”. – Agencies, December 30, 2022
