Andrew Tate arrested by Romanian police over human trafficking and rape charges
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Romanian authorities say a pizza box did not tip agencies to the whereabouts of misogynist influencer Andrew Tate who has been arrested on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group.
Memes and a widely shared screengrab of Tate eating from a pizza box in a Twitter video response to climate activist Greta Thunberg drew speculation that the local pizza place gave away his whereabouts.
But the arrest of the 36-year-old misogynist social media personality and his brother on Thursday followed a months-long investigation, according to authorities.
Tate, a British citizen previously banned from social media platforms for his misogynistic views and hate speech, was arrested along with his brother Tristan and two Romanian suspects, according to officials who raided their properties in Bucharest.
All four suspects, including Tate, will be held for 30 days after a judge extended their initial detention period of 24 hours, said Ramona Bolla, of anti-organised crime agency Diicot. She said the decision was not final and the suspects may appeal.
Prosecutors say they found six women who had been sexually exploited by the suspects.
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Everything you need to know about Andrew Tate
Prior to being banned, Tate had a huge Instagram following of 4.6 million.
Some of his most viral videos see him expressing opinions such as “women can’t drive”, that men can cheat but women can’t, and that 18-year-old women are “more attractive than 25-year-olds because they’ve been through less d***”.
But how did he become so big on social media?
Saman Javed, Ellie Muir and Roisin O’Connor have everything you need to know about the disgraced influencer:
Stuti Mishra1 January 2023 11:15
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What is Hustler’s University started by Andrew Tate?
Disgraced social media influencer Andrew Tate who has had a significant online presence and boasts his rich lifestyle also provided paid online lessons to people on earning money and being successful.
His venture, known as Hustler’s University offered courses on 18 “wealth creation” skills.
“Hustler’s University is an online money-focused community providing education and coaching to over 100,000 students worldwide. Our Campus is a hub for skill development, and our professors are world-class multimillionaire experts,” says the programme’s bio on its website.
The online programme remained one of his strongholds even when his social profiles were taken down for misogynistic content before being reinstated.
Stuti Mishra1 January 2023 10:00
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ICYMI: Elon Musk taunts Andrew Tate after tweet blaming ‘The Matrix’ for arrest
Elon Musk has taunted influencer Andrew Tate after tweets from his social media account blamed “The Matrix” for his arrest in Romania.
One tweet from Tate’s account seemed to respond to the arrest, saying: “The Matrix sent their agents”. Another said: “The Matrix will only tell you what The Matrix needs you to believe.”
In apparent response to these, Twitter CEO Elon Musk posted a meme.
Stuti Mishra1 January 2023 09:12
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Pizza box didn’t lead to Andrew Tate’s arrest, Romanian authorities say
A pizza box did not tip Romanian law enforcement agencies to the whereabouts of misogynist influencer Andrew Tate before his arrest on human trafficking charges, according to officials.
Memes and a widely shared image of Mr Tate eating from a pizza box in a social media video response to climate activist Greta Thunberg drew speculation that the local pizza place gave away his location.
But the arrest of the 36-year-old misogynist social media personality and his brother on Thursday followed a months-long investigation.
Alex Woodward has more details here:
Stuti Mishra1 January 2023 07:00
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Voices: This is what Andrew Tate’s arrest means for Muslim women like me
“I can only hope that this will finally discredit him, and raise more mainstream awareness about his dangerous, misogynistic ideology that’s at total odds with Islam,” writes Hafsa Lodi.
Stuti Mishra1 January 2023 05:40
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Andrew Tate’s model girlfriend and ex-police worker arrested as fellow suspects, report says
A model and a former police worker are believed to be the other two suspects arrested along with Andrew Tate in connection with an investigation into allegations of human trafficking and an allegation of rape.
While the Romanian police is yet to confirm this, two women named Luana Radu, 32, and Georgiana Naghel, 28, were arrested for working as Tate’s ‘closest lieutenants’, according to Daily Mail.
Radu is a former sub inspector in the Romanian police while Naghel has been described as a businesswoman who is said to be in a relationship with Tate.
Stuti Mishra1 January 2023 04:27
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Which social media platforms have banned him and why?
“Misogyny is a hateful ideology that is not tolerated on TikTok. We’ve been removing violative videos and accounts for weeks, and we welcome the news that other platforms are also taking action against this individual,” a spokesperson told The Independent.
However, most viral videos of Tate on the platform are shared by fan pages and other users.
TikTok said it is using technology to remove duplicated clips of Tate’s content from the platform altogether and is reviewing new content as it is shared.
Tate has also been removed from Facebook and Instagram. A spokesperson for Meta told The Independent that Tate had been banned from both platforms for violating its policies, citing the company’s guidelines on “Dangerous Individuals and Organisations”.
Natalie Crockett1 January 2023 03:25
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What are the controversies surrounding Andrew Tate?
In 2016, Andrew Tate was booted from the 17th season of Big Brother after just six days, after a video surfaced showing Tate hitting a woman with a belt. In a statement, Tate and the woman in the video both said the actions in the video were consensual.
Tate has since been the subject of much criticism, primarily for his views on women, which have been denounced as misogynistic.
Some of his most viral videos see him expressing opinions such as “women can’t drive”, that men can cheat but women can’t, and that 18-year-old women are “more attractive than 25-year-olds because they’ve been through less d***”.
(PA Media)
Natalie Crockett1 January 2023 02:25
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Who is the controversial TikTok influencer Andrew Tate?
Andrew Tate has been criticised for peddling “misogynistic views” and “negative presentations of masculinity”.
The former kickboxer and social media influencer was born in the US but came to live in Britain when he was four years old.
He is also the founder of Hustler’s University, an online “academy” where members pay a monthly membership fee in exchange for advice on how to make a passive income from several online industries.
Read more about him and his controversies here:
Natalie Crockett1 January 2023 01:25
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Influencer Andrew Tate’s social media account continues to blame “The Matrix” for his arrest in Romania.
A tweet, posted on Saturday evening as he remains behind bars, read: “God is on our side, so the Matrix will not win. Inshallah.”
An earlier tweet sent from the former kickboxer’s account appeared to respond to the arrest, saying: “The Matrix sent their agents”. Another said: “The Matrix will only tell you what The Matrix needs you to believe.”
Tate is known for spreading misogynistic views online and has previously been banned from social media platforms for hate speech.
Natalie Crockett1 January 2023 00:25
