Controversial online influencer and self-described misogynist Andrew Tate has been detained in Romania on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group, authorities confirmed.
The former kickboxer and reality TV star, who has been banned from a number of social media platforms for misogynistic comments and hate speech, was arrested alongside his brother and two other suspects. 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 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.”
According to a translated statement from the investigators, six women who were allegedly sexually exploited by the organised criminal group have been identified.
“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, the British national was told to get a life by climate activist Greta Thunberg on Twitter after he told her he owned 33 cars with “enormous emissions”.
Reuters contributed to this report
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