Former professional kickboxer and controversial internet personality Andrew Tate was detained in Romania on Thursday along with his brother, Reuters reported.
Romanian prosecutors said in a statement obtained by CBS News that search warrants were executed at several homes Thursday on suspicion of “organized criminal gangs” involved in “human trafficking and rape.”
Prosecutors said the organized crime group was formed by four suspects in early 2021 to “obtain significant financial benefits” for human trafficking in Romania, the United States and the United Kingdom.
According to prosecutors, six women have been found to have been sexually exploited by an organized crime group.
Two British nationals and two Romanian nationals were detained and brought to law enforcement headquarters in Bucharest, prosecutors said. Once they were interrogated, it was decided that they would be detained for 24 hours, the prosecutor added. Nothing is said about what will happen to them after that.
Reuters said this and other photos it obtained show Andrew Tate being escorted out of law enforcement headquarters on Thursday:
INQUAM PHOTOS / Octave Genea / REUTERS
“The four accused appear to have formed an organized crime group with the objective of recruiting, housing and exploiting women by forcing them to create pornographic material,” prosecutors said in a statement. The goal is to be seen on specialized websites.” Reuters.
Tate and his brother Tristan were among the four people taken into custody, prosecutors told Reuters.
Lawyers for the Tate brothers confirmed to Reuters that they had been taken into custody.
Both brothers have been under criminal investigation since April, Reuters reported.
Tate, who was born in the US but raised in the UK, is known for spreading hate speech, misogyny and violence. In August, he Banned from both Facebook and Instagram for violating Meta’s policies regarding dangerous organizations and individuals. They have also been banned from posting on YouTube.
He was suspended in 2017. Twitter Saying that women should “bear responsibility” for sexual assault, it is as allegations against the infamous Hollywood mogul. Harvey Weinstein It was then reinstated on Twitter last month. Elon Musk Took ownership of the company.
Earlier this week, Tate a Twitter feud With environmental activist Greta Thunberg.
In response to reports of Tate’s arrest, Thunberg tweeted on Friday.“This is what happens when you don’t recycle your pizza boxes.”
