On Thursday, Romanian authorities detained Andrew Tate, a social media influencer, and his brother Tristan as part of an investigation into human trafficking, according to Romanian media outlet Libertatea.
The Romanian Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism stated that the two British citizens and two Romanians were detained for questioning in relation to a case involving women who were reportedly lured into marriages, abused, and then forced to perform in exploitative online pornography videos.
Prosecutors allege that the 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." An unverified video circulated on social media showing Andrew Tate being arrested.
A spokesperson for the Tate brothers told The Independent that they "have the utmost respect for the Romanian authorities and will always assist and help in any way they can.”
This is not the first time Andrew Tate has been arrested, in April 11, 2022. After being questioned for five hours, both brothers were released. Tate later denied any wrongdoing, claiming it was a case of swatting.