Andrew Tate breaks silence after arrest in Romania and bizarre spat with Greta Thunberg

30 December 2022, 13:27 | Updated: 30 December 2022, 17:26

Prosecutors have asked a Romanian court to extend the detention of controversial influencer Andrew Tate by 30 days as part of a human-trafficking and rape investigation.

The social media star's luxury mansion in Romania was raided by police in Bucharest, where he was detained along with his brother, Tristan, and two other suspects over allegations of forming an organised crime group, international human trafficking and rape. 

They were led out of the home in handcuffs by balaclava-clad police, with Tate walking out with his hood up as he was put into a police car. 

"Anti-organised crime prosecutors have notified the rights and liberties judge with the Bucharest Court with a proposal to remand the four suspects for 30 days," prosecutors said on Friday, according to Reuters.

"The four suspects ... appear to have created an organised crime group with the purpose of recruiting, housing and exploiting women by forcing them to create pornographic content meant to be seen on specialised websites for a cost."

The group is said to be under investigation over the alleged kidnap of two young women at their villa in Voluntari, to the north east of the capital. 

Six alleged victims say they have been sexually exploited by the group, police say. 

Tate broke his silence following his arrest earlier on in the day.

His Twitter account posted: “The Matrix sent their agents.” 

Read more: Greta Thunberg mocks Andrew Tate following his arrest in Romania

Romania police raid video amid Tate arrest reports

The raid came after a bizarre spat with Greta Thunberg, who he boasted to about his cars.

When she replied to mock him for “small d*** energy”, he sent a video back showing him eating pizza.

Early reports had mistakenly suggested the pizza box allowed Romanian authorities to confirm he was in the country, leading to the raid. 

He had previously posted that he was in the country in December, however. 

"This is what happens when you don’t recycle your pizza boxes,” Ms Thunberg said after his arrest. 

His home had previously been raided in April.

Tate, a former kickboxer, has been hugely controversial for his misogynistic comments about women. 

He developed a sizeable social media presence off the back of fans that are thought to be made up of British and American males. 

He has referred to women as “property” and said they should bear some of the blame if they are sexually assaulted. 

Clips continue to circulate on social media despite him being banned from YouTube, TikTok and Meta platforms. 

He was reinstated on Twitter after “free speech absolutist” Elon Musk took over. 

A spokesperson for Tate and his brother said: "We cannot provide any details at the moment regarding alleged reports that they 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 they can."

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