Controversial media personality Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have been arrested in relation to a human trafficking investigation, according to local reports.
The pair were led away in cuffs after their Romanian mansion was raided by balaclava-clad police.
The divisive influencer, who fans refer to as ‘Tog G‘, and his brother are allegedly being quizzed over human trafficking allegations.
Romanian daily newspaper Libertatea claim that both men have been under investigation for the kidnapping of two young women in their villa in the town of Voluntari.
The outlet said their lavish home was raided by the Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism in Bucharest on December 30.
Both Andrew and Tristan were issued warrants in relation to forming an organised criminal group, international human trafficking, and rape.
Pictures and videos circulating online show the brothers being led away by armed police in handcuffs. Andrew is seen with his hood up in the foreground while Tristan is trailing closely behind.
According to the reports, the home of a former policewoman, suspected of involvement in the alleged trafficking, was also searched and she too is being questioned.
Andrew Tate and his brother have been arrested and led away in cuffs after their luxury Romanian mansion was raided by police.
The divisive influencer, referred to by his fans as ‘Top G’, and his brother Tristan are being quizzed over human trafficking allegations, according to local reports.
The pair have reportedly been under investigation for the alleged kidnapping of two young women in their villa in the town of Voluntari.
Their home was raided by the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism in Bucharest earlier today, reports Libertatea.
The brothers were issued warrants in relation to forming an organised criminal group, international human trafficking, and rape.
Pictures and video show the brothers being accompanied out of the house in handcuffs by cops. Andrew is seen with his hood up as armed police dressed in balaclavas led him away.
The home of a former policewoman, suspected of involvement in the alleged trafficking, was also searched and she is being questioned alongside the Tate brothers.
This comes after Andrew was involved in a bizarre Twitter spat with climate activist Greta Thunberg. The former kickboxing champion bizarrely called her out by boasting about the emissions produced by his fleet of 33 supercars, to which Thunberg replied by comically suggesting he had “small d*** energy”.
Grazed by the jibe, Tate posted a comeback video which featured pizza from Romanian chain Jerry’s Pizza. Sources close to the investigation told local news publication Gandul that anti-mafia prosecutors learned the pair were in Romania through their social media activity. They claim the video may have inadvertently tipped off authorities about their whereabouts, leading to the dramatic raid.
In April, authorities found two young women, including one American citizen, in a Voluntari villa. The women alleged they were being held against their will by the Tate brothers.
The brothers, who are British citizens but moved to America at a young age, were questioned by Romania’s police, crime and investigation unit, DIICOT, but released as investigations continued.
At the time, Tate insisted the issues arose from a “swatting incident”, which is essentially a hoax call.
“I was not arrested. What happened is I suffered from a case of swatting. It’s very popular with people who are largely on the internet.
“(Police) turned up, they investigated, they realised nobody was in the house against their will, there was no crime committed…we had to go to the police station for 45 minutes for pieces of paper, we filled them in and we were let go.”
Andrew and his brother Tristan moved to Romania in 2017. Andrew has often cited the country’s relaxed government and laws as a reason for basing himself there in his quest to ‘escape the matrix’.
In a deleted video on his YouTube channel, Andrew claimed “40 per cent of the reason” he moved from the UK to Romania was because Romanian police were less likely to pursue rape charges.
“I’m not a rapist, but I like the idea of just being able to do what I want. I like being free,” he said.
