The self-proclaimed misogynist may have tipped off Romanian authorities to his presence in their country by posting a video of himself with a box from a local pizza chain.
Misogynist influencer Andrew Tate and his brother have been detained by Romanian authorities in connection with an investigation into human trafficking, rape and forming an organized crime group, prosecutors said.
Andrew and his brother Tristan Tate were taken into custody Thursday night at a Bucharest villa after authorities raided five homes, finding evidence that at least six women were being held captive and were sexually assaulted for the purpose of creating pornography that was sold on social media, authorities said.
Police also found cash, guns, bars of gold and vehicles during their raids, according to a press release from the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism.
The Tates and two Romanians remained in custody Friday, according to Reuters.
“Anti-organized crime prosecutors have notified the rights and liberties judge with the Bucharest court with a proposal to remand the four suspects for 30 days,” officials said, according to the news agency.
The brothers have been under criminal investigation since April, authorities said. A lawyer for the Tates confirmed they had been detained, Sky News reported.
A spokesperson told the Daily Mirror, "Andrew and Tristan Tate have the utmost respect for the Romanian authorities and will always assist and help in any way they can," the news outlet said.
Andrew Tate, 36, is a former kickboxer who first gained notoriety in 2016, when he was booted from the British "Big Brother" TV show over a video that appeared to show him attacking a woman with a belt. Tate, a British American, said the video had been altered.
In August, he was banned from Facebook and Instagram for violating policies against "dangerous individuals," parent company Meta said.
Days later, he was banned from YouTube for breaching rules against hate speech. He had been banned from Twitter in 2017 for saying women should "bear responsibility" for rape and sexual harassment. He was reinstated this year after Elon Musk took over the social media site.
Over the years, he has compared women to dogs and said they shouldn't be allowed to drive.
Earlier this week, Tate sparked a Twitter argument with environmental activist Greta Thunberg. He posted a photo of himself next to his Bugatti luxury car, writing to Thunberg, "Please provide your email address so I can send a complete list of my car collection and their respective enormous emissions."
Social media went viral with speculation that Romanian authorities had been tipped off that Tate was back in their country after Tate posted video of himself smoking a cigar next to a pizza box from a local chain.
After he was detained Thursday, Thunberg tweeted, "this is what happens when you don't recycle your pizza boxes."
