Social media influencer Andrew Tate has been arrested in Romania after police raided a house.
The 36-year-old former kickboxer was reportedly arrested alongside his brother, Tristan, and two other suspects during a raid on his home in the capital, Bucharest.
The Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism in Romania issued a statement on Thursday confirming that they carried out five house search warrants.
The group said the warrants relate to offenses of “forming an organized criminal group, human trafficking and rape”.
He did not name the Tate brothers, but said two British citizens and two Romanian citizens were suspected of being part of the criminal group.
Footage that has circulated widely on social media appears to show Tate and her brother being led away from a luxury villa.
“So far, six injured people have been identified who were sexually exploited by the organized criminal group,” added the statement from the Directorate for Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism in Romania.
“Four people reasonably suspected of being involved in criminal activity were taken in for questioning.
“After the hearings, the prosecutor’s office of the Directorate of Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism – Central Structure ordered the arrest of the four people for a period of 24 hours.”
The statement adds that “those under investigation enjoy the rights and procedural guarantees provided for in the Code of Criminal Procedure, as well as the presumption of innocence.”
According to the Reuters news agency, prosecutors said: “The four suspects … appear to have created an organized crime group for the purpose of recruiting, housing and exploiting women by forcing them to create pornographic content intended to be viewed on specialized websites for a cost.”
A spokesman for Tate told the Daily Mirror: “At this time we are unable to provide any details on 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 assist in any way that they can.”
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