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Andrew Tate, a divisive social media personality and former professional kickboxer, was arrested in Romania late Thursday as part of an investigation into human trafficking and rape cases, according to local media reports.
Tate, a British-US citizen who was previously banned from various social media platforms for expressing misogynistic views and hate speech, was reportedly detained along with his brother Tristan in the Ilfov area north of the Romanian capital, Bucharest.
Romania’s anti-organized crime agency said in a statement that four suspects, including two British citizens and two Romanians, were arrested on charges of being part of an organized crime group, human trafficking and rape.
The agency, DIICOT, said that British nationals were recruiting women who were subjected to “acts of physical violence and mental coercion,” who were sexually exploited by group members and forced to perform pornography intended to obtain “significant financial gain.”
The statement did not name the Tate brothers. Photos published by Romanian media show Tate being handcuffed by masked law enforcement officers.
On hold for 24 hours
DIICOT said it identified six people who were sexually exploited by an organized criminal group, and that five houses were raided there. The suspects were detained for 24 hours.
Earlier this week, Tate posted a video on Twitter of the mountainous region of Romania, the Eastern European country he reportedly lived in five years ago.
Tate was also embroiled this week in a war of words with climate activist Greta Thunberg, 19, after she shared a picture of herself standing next to a Bugatti on Twitter and boasted that she owned 33 cars.
Video footage of the police raid accompanying the anti-organized crime agency’s statement showed several fleeing sports cars, cash and handguns.
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