Controversial internet personality Andrew Tate was detained by Romanian police this week. The 36-year-old was reportedly suspected to be participating in human trafficking, rape, and forming an organized crime group.
The former kickboxer, his brother Tristan, and two other suspects were taken in Thursday evening (Dec. 29). FoxNews reported via Reuters that the four men will remain in custody for 24 hours. Romania’s anti-organized crime unit raided Tate and the others’ properties in Bucharest, their prosecutors subsequently issuing a statement.
“The four suspects … appear to have created an organized 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 prosecutors said. “They would have gained important sums of money.”
SkyNews reported that guns, knives, and other weapons were found when the police raided the businessman’s home. The Tate brothers have been under investigation for criminal activity since April, FoxNews reported via Reuters. Six women claimed that they were “sexually exploited” by the suspects, per the allegations.
Tate has been a firebrand on social media over the last year, namely his conversation with Tucker Carlson back in August.
The American-British man claimed that he was being “de-platformed” due to the “large swaths of the population agreeing to the very traditional masculine values” he stood by. “I have a very traditionally masculine life. I have fast cars and a big house and a lot of money and a beautiful girlfriend, and they thought this was very, very threatening,” Tate said in the interview.
“And for some reason, they decided that it’s better if they annihilate me from the internet and replace me with somebody who’s more aligned with whatever they’re trying to purport.”