Authorities in Romania have verified that controversial online influencer Andrew Tate has been arrested on allegations of human trafficking, rape, and organizing a criminal organization.
Tate, who has been barred from a number of social networking sites for his misogynistic remarks and hate speech, was detained together with his brother and two other suspects.
A Twitter Beef With Greta Thunberg Tipped Off Police Of Tate's Location
According to The Verge, Tate was not specifically mentioned in a translated statement released by the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT).
However, it admits that search warrants were carried out at five homes while four persons were brought in for questioning and told they would be detained for a day.
Police in Romania allegedly escorted Tate out of his house one day after their Twitter altercation with Greta Thunberg, a teenage environmental activist, went viral.
With this, prosecutors from the anti-organized crime unit announced in a statement that Tate and his brother Tristan would be held for 24 hours after searching their Bucharest homes.
In addition, DIICOT released a video of the raid that included hazy shots of expensive automobiles that resembled those Tate has shown in his movies as well as cash, weapons, and other goods.
The Tate brothers have been the subject of a criminal investigation since April; they declined to comment, but their attorney confirmed they had been arrested.
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The DIICOT Provides More Information About The Arrest
Investigators have identified six women who were allegedly sexually exploited by the organized criminal group, according to a statement that was translated from their original language.
The four suspects seem to have established an organization with the goal of enlisting, housing, and abusing women.
The Guardian writes that they do this by compelling them to produce pornographic material that would be sold on specialized websites.
Additionally, DIICOT described this scheme as a "loverboy" operation in which British nationals would claim to be romantically involved with the victims before sending them to Romania.
The accused exploited the money they earned from selling the girls' coerced content online on marketplaces like OnlyFans to purchase homes, automobiles, and bitcoin.
Antena 3 CNN reports that a former police officer was brought into DIICOT headquarters for questioning together with the two brothers.
Investigators have visited the area twice now, following a complaint to the US embassy in April alleging that an American citizen was being forcibly detained at the Tates' property.
Prosecutors had been gathering information and waiting to arrest the Tate brothers while they were abroad in the months since.
"Andrew and Tristan Tate have the utmost respect for the Romanian authorities and will always assist and help in any way they can," a spokesperson for the Tate brothers claimed.
Before he was banned from social media sites including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter, as well as YouTube, Tate was the most searched-for man online earlier this year, according to The Mirror.
However, when Elon Musk finished taking control of the tech giant, Tate's Twitter account was reinstated, and he started posting again almost straight away.
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