Andrew Tate, the provocative online influencer is now detained in Romania on allegations that he is a human trafficker and he recruits, houses, and forces women to create adult content.
However, on his Twitter account, Tate wrote after his arrest:
The Matrix sent their agents.
— Andrew Tate (@Cobratate) December 30, 2022
Andrew’s representative has just come forward to offer insight, shortly after his arrest.
“We cannot provide any details at the moment regarding alleged reports that [the Tates] have been detained; however, Andrew and Tristan Tate have the utmost respect for the Romanian authorities and will always assist and help in any way we can,” they told the Daily Mirror.
The 36-year-old British-American and former kickboxer was barred from several social media platforms for his misogynistic remarks and hate speech. The “internet phenomenon” and reality TV star was arrested alongside his brother and two other suspects.
After the raid of their Bucharest property, prosecutors said the Tate brothers would be detained for 24 hours.
Video circulated widely on social media appears to show Tate and his brother being led away from a luxury villa.
Some reports say some pizza boxes on his table during his rant against ‘green’ campaigner Greta Thunberg gave his location away to the authorities.
Tate’s spokesman told the Daily Mirror that “Andrew and Tristan Tate have the utmost respect for the Romanian authorities and will always assist and help in any way they can.”
According to an interpreted statement from the investigators, six women who have allegedly been sexually exploited by the organized criminal group have been identified.
“The four suspects … appear to have created an organized crime group with the purpose of recruiting, housing, and exploiting women by forcing them to create pornographic content meant to be seen on specialized websites for a cost,” prosecutors said.
Tate: From Ring to TV to prison?
In 2016, the former kickboxer became popular when he was removed from the British TV show Big Brother. The removal was over a video which showed him attacking a woman.
He became more infamous online, with Twitter banning him, for saying women should “bear responsibility” for being sexually assaulted.
Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) issued a statement but did not name the Tate brothers, stating that two British citizens and two Romanian citizens were suspected of being part of a criminal group focused on human trafficking.
The brothers, who have been under criminal investigation since April, have declined to comment, but their lawyer confirmed they had been detained.
In a video of his arrest, Tate can be heard saying “the matrix has attacked me” as he is escorted away by police.
Tate and Toxic masculinity
Tate has depicted how he would brutally attack a woman for accusing him of dishonesty and cheating, saying he would “bang out the machete, boom in her face and grip her by the neck.”
Thus, apprehension has mounted about his influence on young people, particularly young men.
In his defense, Tate has refuted people’s view that he holds misogynistic views and blamed his detractors for “twisting facts,” while labeling himself as the “king of toxic masculinity.”
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