Social media influencer Andrew Tate detained in Romania on human trafficking, rape charges

WARNING: This article contains details about sexual exploitation.

Andrew Tate, a divisive social media personality and former professional kickboxer, was detained in Romania on charges of human trafficking and rape, an official said Friday.

Tate, a British citizen who was previously banned from various social media platforms for expressing misogynistic views and hate speech, was detained late Thursday along with his British brother, Tristan, in the Ilfov area north of Romania's capital, Bucharest. Two other suspects, who are Romanian, were also in custody.

All four will be held for 30 days during an investigation after a judge extended their initial detention period of 24 hours, said Ramona Bolla, a spokesperson for Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime (DIICOT), a Romanian anti-organized crime agency. Bolla said the decision wasn't final and can be appealed.

DIICOT said in a statement late Thursday that the four suspects in the case were arrested on charges of being part of an organized crime group, human trafficking and rape.

The agency said the British citizens recruited women who were subjected to "acts of physical violence and mental coercion," sexually exploited by group members and forced to perform pornographic acts intended to reap "important financial benefits."

The statement didn't name the Tate brothers. Photographs published by Romanian media outlets appeared to show Tate being led away in handcuffs by masked law enforcement officers.

DIICOT said it identified six people who were sexually exploited by the organized criminal groupand that five homes were raided on Thursday.

On Friday, Andrew Tate, who is known to express various conspiratorial views, tweeted that "The Matrix sent their agents," without elaborating.

Twitter spat withGreta Thunberg

Earlier this week, Tate posted a video on Twitter of a mountainous region of Romania, the eastern European country where he is reported to have lived for the last five years.

Tate was also embroiled this week in a war of words with 19-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg after he tweeted a picture of himself standing next to a Bugatti and bragged that he owned 33 cars.

Police said that 11 luxury cars were discovered in the raids that were owned or used by the suspects.

Video footage from the police raid accompanying the anti-organized crime agency's statement shows several blurred-out sports cars, wads of cash and a handgun.

Bolla, theDIICOT spokesperson, refuted widespread claims in the media that an address brandished on a Romanian pizza boxfeatured in a video posted by Andrew Tate on Twitter earlier this week led authorities to his arrest. She said the claims are "funny, but no."

Support is available for anyone who has been sexually assaulted. You can access crisis lines and local support services through this Government of Canada website or the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.