Controversial influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan will be held in a Romanian detention centre for 30 days following their arrest. Tate, 36, was arrested alongside his brother Tristan, 34, on Thursday as part of an investigation into allegations of human trafficking and rape.
Two other suspects, who have yet to be named, were also arrested, and taken to a police station in Bucharest where they were held for 24 hours. Authorities suspect the pair, along with two Romanian men, of running an "organised crime group".
The kick-boxing champion has yet to comment on directly on the allegations but after being detained, a tweet was sent from his Twitter account referencing the 1999 movie The Matrix. "The Matrix sent their agents," the post said. The account also retweeted Matrix memes posted by Twitter owner Elon Musk.
Speaking to the BBC, a spokesperson for Romania's Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) said prosecutors had applied to hold Tate at a "detention centre" for an additional 30 days. During the detention hearing, the two brothers maintained their right to silence, their lawyer told the BBC.
On Thursday night, DIICOT issued a statement, but did not name the Tate brothers, saying that two British citizens and two Romanian citizens were suspected of being part of a human trafficking group.
Romanian prosecutors said 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. They would have gained important sums of money."
The statement said officers had identified six people who were allegedly "sexually exploited" by what it alleged was an "organised criminal group". They allege victims were recruited by "British citizens misrepresenting their intention to enter into a marriage or cohabitation relationship and the existence of genuine feelings of love". They were later forced to perform in pornographic content under threat of violence, the statement alleged.
Previously, Tate had a successful career as a kickboxer, winning four world championships. In 2016, he he was kicked out of Celebrity Big Brother over a video which appeared to show him attacking a woman.
He then set up a "webcam business", which he described as "adult entertainment". The controversial figure has gained worldwide attention for his remarks about women, and was previously banned from Twitter after saying women should "bear responsibility" for being sexually assaulted. He has since been reinstated.
A spokesperson for Tate told the Daily Mirror on Thursday night: "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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