Online influencer arrested on suspicion of human trafficking – Reuters – RT World News
Controversial ‘manosphere’ guru Andrew Tate was handcuffed in Romania on Thursday
Former British kickboxer and controversial social media star Andrew Tate was arrested in Romania on Thursday along with his brother Tristan Tate. Prosecutors suspect the couple of human trafficking and rape, Reuters reported.
Tate was photographed in handcuffs as he was escorted by Romanian police in Bucharest. The brothers’ lawyer confirmed their arrest to the news agency.
Tate has been described as the voice of the « manosphere », an online community of male influencers often accused of spreading toxic masculinity and misogynistic ideas. “If you put yourself in a position to be raped, you have to take some responsibility. I’m not saying it’s okay that you were raped. » Tate tweeted in 2017.
The former kickboxer was banned from YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram in 2022 for violating community guidelines. He was reinstated on Twitter after Elon Musk took over the company this year.
According to reports, a video made by Tate criticizing Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg helped police locate him. In a clip released Wednesday, Tate appeared eating a pizza purchased from Romanian restaurant chain Jerry’s Pizza, with his name visible on the box.
« This is what happens when you don’t recycle your pizza boxes » Thunberg tweeted after news broke of Tate’s troubles.
Romania’s law enforcement agency DIICOT said on its website on Thursday that two British nationals and two Romanian nationals were arrested on suspicion of forming an organized criminal group, human trafficking and rape. Without mentioning Tate by name, the agency said prosecutors ordered the four people to be detained for 24 hours.
Authorities said the suspects tricked the women into thinking they wanted relationships with them. The victims were then detained in properties outside Bucharest, where they were physically and psychologically abused. They were « forced to engage in pornographic acts for the purpose of producing and disseminating such content on social media platforms », DIICOT alleged. He added that six victims have been identified so far.
According to the Libertatea newspaper, Romanian police discovered two young women in Tate’s villa in April. The women claimed that Tate and her brother held them against their will. Police questioned Tate at the time and released him, but the investigation continued, the newspaper said.
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