Influencer Andrew Tate, known for promoting toxic masculinity and an ultra-luxurious lifestyle online, was arrested in Romania in a human trafficking case. His brother Tristan was also detained after his house was raided in Bucharest.
A spokesperson for the Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) told BBC that prosecutors had applied to hold Tate at a detention centre for an additional 30 days. "The four suspects appear to have created an organised crime group with the purpose of recruiting, housing, and exploiting women by forcing them to create pornographic content meant to be seen on specialised websites for a cost."
The law enforcement of Romania has been investigating the Tate brothers since April 2022.
The statement from Romanian officials did not name the Tate brothers but said two British citizens and two Romanian citizens were suspected of being part of a criminal group focused on human trafficking. Police also said the victims were recruited by the British citizens by using the "loverboy method" and misleading the women by showing interest in entering relationships with them.
A now-deleted page on his website read that he was making money using women from a webcam-based business. "I brought women into the "adult entertainment industry. My job was to meet a girl, go on a few dates, sleep with her, test if she's quality, get her to fall in love with me to where she'd do anything I say, and then get her on webcam so we could become rich together." The page was taken down in February 2022.
The former kickboxer became infamous in 2016 when he participated in the British TV show Big Brother. He was seen attacking a woman on camera and was removed from the show. He has been promoting chauvinistic ideas since then and has a massive following. Twitter banned him once for saying women should bear responsibility for being sexually assaulted. He is known to describe women as "intrinsically lazy" and there is "no such thing as an independent female." He also said he is a misogynist. "I'm a realist and when you're a realist, you're sexist. There's no way you can be rooted in reality and not be sexist."
After the video of the arrest surfaced online, many speculate that the police zeroed in on Tate's location and some evidence due to a spiteful video he posted. The self-proclaimed misogynist influencer yesterday got into an online argument with Swedish teen climate activist Greta Thunberg. In retaliation to her sassy response, he posted a video in which a pizza box from a Romanian restaurant chain was seen.
Rumours suggest that the police confirmed Tate's presence in Romania from the video. After the arrest, Thunberg tweeted "this is what happens when you don't recycle your pizza boxes."