Controversial online influencer Andrew Tate has reportedly been detained in Romania as part of a human trafficking and rape investigation.
Mr Tait – who was detained with his brother Tristan – was raided at his home in the capital, Bucharest.
Lawyers for the brothers confirmed their detention, Reuters said.
The former kickboxer gained notoriety in 2016 when he was kicked off British TV show Big Brother over a video showing him assaulting a woman.
He gained notoriety online, with Twitter banning him for saying that women “must take responsibility” for being sexually assaulted. It has since been restored.
According to prosecutors, “The four suspects … appear to have formed an organized crime group with the objective of recruiting, housing and exploiting women and forcing them to create pornographic material.” which is intended to be viewed on specialized websites.” Reuters news agency.
The two brothers, along with two Romanian nationals, have been under investigation since April.
In a video widely circulated on social media, Mr Tate and his brother are being escorted from a luxury villa.
Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) issued a statement, but did not name the Tate brothers, saying that two British nationals and two Romanian nationals were involved in a criminal group focused on human trafficking. suspected to be part of
He also released a video of the raid, which showed guns, knives and money in a room.
Mr Tate moved to Romania five years ago.
Before achieving worldwide fame, Mr Tate – a British citizen who was born in the US – competed professionally as a kickboxer and won world titles.
In 2016, he entered the Big Brother house but was soon eliminated after a video went viral, showing him beating a woman with a belt.
At the time of his sacking from the show, Mr Tate said the video had been edited, calling it “a complete lie trying to make me look bad”.
He gained notoriety online, with Twitter banning him for saying that women “must take responsibility” for being sexually assaulted.
Mr Tate has been banned from other social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, as well as being removed by TikTok, saying “misogyny is a hateful ideology that will not be tolerated”.
His posts on other online sites promote abuse and target women and have millions of views, social media correspondent Marianne Spring said earlier this year that her The material has “raised concerns about its impact in the real world”.
Along with former US President Donald Trump, he has recently been allowed back on Twitter after Elon Musk took over.
On Wednesday, Mr Tait engaged in a war of words on Twitter with climate activist Greta Thunberg.
