Streamer Andrew Tate arrested in Romania, accused of human trafficking

Tate is also being investigated along with other suspects for a crime of rape.

Days before, he had starred in a confrontation with the young environmentalist Greta Thunberg on social networks

The Romanian Police have arrested the ex-boxer and 'streamer' Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan Tate on Thursday afternoon in Bucharest, both being investigated for their alleged commission of crimes such as the formation of an organized criminal group, human trafficking and the rape.

The Romanian Directorate of Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) has issued a 24-hour arrest warrant after the Tate brothers were accused by the country's Prosecutor's Office of having formed an organized criminal group with which they recruited, they housed and forced women to create materials with pornographic content for further distribution, Romania TV has reported.

With the help of two other Romanian citizens - also arrested in this raid - the alleged criminal organization deceived women in the United States and the United Kingdom to bring them to Romania, feigning a loving reciprocity and promising a marriage relationship.

Subsequently, the victims were transported and housed in buildings in the Romanian county of Ilfov, where, after allegedly suffering acts of physical violence and mental coercion, they were sexually exploited by members of the group, forcing them to perform pornographic demonstrations for later dissemination on social networks. .

Likewise, one of the victims was forced on two different occasions by a suspect --and through physical violence and psychological pressure-- to have sexual relations.

So far, the Romanian Police have identified six victims who were sexually exploited by the organized criminal group and in which the Tate brothers would have participated, as detailed in a statement. Two of them testified in April 2022, after which the brothers were questioned, who were released shortly after, reported 'Adevarul'.

With these activities, Andrew and Tristan would have obtained large sums of money with which they would have bought houses, luxury cars and cryptocurrencies.

THE AUTHORITIES WOULD HAVE EXPECTED TATE'S RETURN TO ROMANIA

Andrew and Tristan, both British citizens with occasional residence in Romania, have been assaulted in a house in the town of Voluntari, on the outskirts of the Romanian capital, after the Police have been able to prove that they were in the country, according to been able to find out the Roman newspaper 'Gandul'.

For nine months, the anti-mafia prosecutors would have compiled all the evidence taken from the Tate brothers' villa located on the outskirts of Bucharest, all in order to prove that the accusations made during the hearings by their alleged victims were real.

Sources close to the investigation, according to the aforementioned newspaper, have reported that the Police were waiting for the brothers to return to Romania to be able to find them, since they are usually out of the country.

After seeing, even on social networks, that they were together in Romania, the DIICOT prosecutors mobilized special troops from the Gendarmerie and ascended, by force, in their villa, as well as in other directions.

The arrest took place after the ex-boxer posted a video on social networks and in which he responded to a mockery of the young environmentalist Greta Thunberg, all of it eating pizza from a popular Romanian pizzeria chain.

In said video, in which Tate attacks Thunberg for her defense of the fight against climate change, as well as in other messages on Twitter published by the 'influencer', he made it clear that he was in Romania, all after having been in the United States and participate in the transmission on Twitch of the also 'streamer' Adin Ross.

THE DISCUSSION WITH GRETA THUNBERG PRIOR TO HER ARREST

Days before his arrest, Andrew Tate had written a message on Twitter to the environmentalist Greta Thunberg boasting of having 33 cars and stating that he would send her a complete list with the respective gas emissions of each of them.

"Hello Greta Thunberg. I have 33 cars. My Bugatti has a W16 8.0L turbo quad. My two Ferrari 812s have 6.5L v12s (...) Please provide your email address so I can send you a complete list of my car collection and their respective emissions", wields the tweet.

In response, the environmental activist said: "Yes, please enlighten me. Send me an email at energíadepenepequeño@comprateunavida.com."

After Thunberg's provocative message, which reached more than half a million retweets and three million 'likes' on Twitter, Tate responded again with a video sitting in a cabin and smoking a cigar.

"Releasing greenhouse gases," the video begins, while exhaling smoke when smoking. "In fact, I'm angry with Greta. Please bring me pizza (he says to a person who does not appear in the video), but make sure the cardboard has not been recycled," Tate wields in the counter-reply to the activist.

"I am angry with Greta because she does not realize that she has been deceived and she has not realized that she is a slave to the 'Matrix'. She thinks that she is doing good. Someone has to get her down from there," he continues, with the pizza box from the Jerry's Pizza chain, an indication that he was in Romania at the time.