A British-American influencer, Andrew Tate, was detained again in Romania, authorities announced Thursday morning after police raided four of his properties in and around Bucharest a few hours earlier.
According to the Mediafax news agency, Tate and his brother Tristan were questioned Wednesday night at the headquarters of the Romanian Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism.
The brothers—under investigation for human trafficking and the exploitation of young women in Romania—can be held first for up to 24 hours, according to their lawyer, before any decision is made by the authorities in imposing pre-trial detention or house arrest.The latest developments are another blow to Andrew Tate, who in recent years had emerged as a standard bearer for online misogyny.
The 37-year-old ostentatiously flaunted his wealth by posting videos of himself on social media driving around in flashy sports cars, smoking thick cigars, and flaunting loads of money in front of millions of teenagers and young men.
The Tate brothers and two alleged female accomplices were arrested initially near Bucharest on December 30, 2022, on suspicion of forcing young women to participate in pornographic videos. Romanian investigators have already identified seven victims in the case, three of whom are plaintiffs. The brothers deny all allegations.
They were put under house arrest three months later, and since August 2023 the defendants had been out on bail with the restriction that they could not leave Romania.They have continued to be active on social media, disseminating misinformation during the recent far-right riots in the United Kingdom.
