Controversial online influencer and self-described misogynist Andrew Tate has been detained in Romania on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming an organized crime group. According to authorities, the former kickboxer and reality TV star, who has been banned from a number of social media platforms for misogynistic comments and hate speech, was arrested alongside his brother and two other suspects. They would be detained for 24 hours, prosecutors from the anti-organized crime unit said in a statement after raiding their properties in Bucharest.
The Tate brothers have been under criminal investigation since April alongside two Romanian nationals.
Tate rose to fame in 2016 when he was removed from British TV show Big Brother over a video which appeared to show him attacking a woman.
He went on to gain notoriety online, with Twitter banning him for saying women should “bear responsibility” for being sexually assaulted. He has since been reinstated.
A rights group called GRETA (Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings) had called attention to the crime in Romania last year, even as far-right influencer Andrew Tate was detained by authorities in the country on Thursday.
In a press release in June 2021, GRETA had urged Romania to ensure that human trafficking offences lead to effective and dissuasive sanctions and that victims of trafficking have access to compensation.
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