Controversial online influencer and self-proclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate has been arrested in Romania on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming an organized crime group, authorities have confirmed.
The former kickboxer and reality TV star, who was 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 Organized 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 Tate spokesperson told the Daily Mirror they could not provide any details regarding the information. “However, Andrew and Tristan Tate have the utmost respect for the Romanian authorities and will always help and assist in any way possible.”
According to a translated statement from investigators, six women who were allegedly sexually exploited by the organized crime group have been identified.
“The four suspects … appear to have created an organized criminal group with the purpose of recruiting, harboring and exploiting women by forcing them to create pornographic content for viewing on specialized websites for a fee,” prosecutors said.
“They would have won large sums of money.”
Earlier this week, the British national was asked to getting a life by climate activist Greta Thunberg on Twitter after telling him he owned 33 cars with “huge emissions”.
Reuters contributed to this report
