Controversial influencer Andrew Tate and his brother arrested in Romania in sex trafficking and rape investigation

The controversial British-American influencer Andrew Tate was arrested this Thursday in Romania in the framework of an investigation into human trafficking and rape.

The former kickboxing champion he was arrested along with his brother, Tristan, after their home in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, was raided.

SIGHT: Greta Thunberg’s viral response to a former kickboxing champion who bragged about the high emissions from his car collection

A lawyer for the brothers confirmed the arrest.

The brothers have been under investigation since April along with two Romanian citizens.

“The four suspects… appear to have created an organized crime group for the purpose of recruiting, harboring and exploiting women forcing them to create pornographic content intended to be viewed on specialized websites in exchange for money,” prosecutors said, reported Reuters.

A video was widely circulated on social media that appears to show Tate and his brother being led out of a luxury villa.

The Directorate of Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism (Diicot) of Romania issued a statement in which, without explicitly naming the Tate brothers, it explained that two British nationals and two Romanian nationals were suspected of being part of a criminal group focused on human trafficking.

The agency also released video of the raid, showing guns, knives and money on display in a room.

controversial character

Andrew Tate moved to Romania five years ago.

Before gaining worldwide notoriety, he fought professionally as a kickboxer and won world titles.

In 2016, he entered the British reality show Big Brother, but was kicked out after a video circulated in which he appeared to be beating a woman with a belt.

At the time of his ouster from the show, Tate said the video had been edited, calling it “a total lie trying to make me look bad.”

He then gained virtual notoriety and was censured by Twitter for saying women should “take responsibility” for being sexually assaulted.

Tate has been banned from other social networks including YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. TikTok also removed it, saying that “misogyny is a hateful ideology that is not tolerated”.

His posts on other websites promote misogyny, target women, and have millions of views.

The BBC’s disinformation and social media correspondent Marianna Spring said earlier this year that its content had “raised concerns about the effect it could have in the real world”.

He was recently allowed back on Twitter, along with former US President Donald Trump, following Elon Musk’s takeover of the platform.

Crossover with Greta Thunberg

Tate’s name gained notoriety this week after he was embroiled in a Twitter war of words with climate activist Greta Thunberg.

Greta Thunberg’s response to Andrew Tate sparked a debate on Twitter. (GETTY IMAGES).

The former kickboxing champion wrote:

“Hi @GretaThunberg I have 33 cars. My Bugatti has w16 8.0L quad turbo. My TWO competitor Ferrari 812s have 6.5L v12. This is just the beginning. Please provide your email address so I can send you a full list of my collection of cars and their respective huge emissions.”

Hello @GretaThunberg

I have 33 cars.

My Bugatti has a w16 8.0L quad turbo.

My TWO Ferrari 812 competitions have 6.5L v12s.

This is just the start.

Please provide your email address so I can send a complete list of my car collection and their respective enormous emissions. pic.twitter.com/ehhOBDQyYU

—Andrew Tate (@Cobratate) December 27, 2022

Tate’s tweet was accompanied by a photo showing him filling out the fuel tank of your Bugatti.

The 19-year-old activist waited a few hours and responded to the former athlete with a tweet that went viral: “Yes, please enlighten me. Email me at [email protected]”.

Yes, please do enlighten me. email me at [email protected] https://t.co/V8geeVvEvg

— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) December 28, 2022

Source: Elcomercio