Andrew Tate arrested by Romanian police for human trafficking and rape
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Romanian authorities say a pizza box failed to inform agencies of the whereabouts of misogynist influencer Andrew Tate, who has been arrested on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming an organized crime group.
Memes and a widely shared screenshot of Tate eating from a pizza box in a Twitter video response to climate activist Greta Thunberg led to speculation that the local pizzeria had revealed his whereabouts.
But the arrest of the misogynistic 36-year-old social media personality and her brother on Thursday followed a months-long investigation, authorities said.
Tate, a British citizen who was previously banned from social media 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
The four suspects, including Tate, will be detained for 30 days after a judge extended their initial 24-hour detention period, said Ramona Bolla of the Diicot organized crime agency. He said the decision was not final and the suspects can 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
Before she was 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 I’ve been through less shit “.
But how did it 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 Mishra January 1, 2023 at 11:15 am
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What is Hustler University started by Andrew Tate?
Disgraced social media influencer Andrew Tate, who has had a significant online presence and boasts of his wealthy lifestyle, also offered paid online lessons to people on how to make money and be successful.
His company, known as Hustler University, offered courses on 18 “wealth building” skills.
“Hustler’s University is a money-focused online community that provides education and training to over 100,000 students worldwide. Our campus is a hub for skill development, and our professors are world-class billionaire experts ” says the show’s bio on its website.
The online program remained one of their strongholds even when their social profiles were removed for misogynistic content before being reinstated.
Stuti Mishra January 1, 2023 at 10:00 AM
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ICYMI: Elon Musk mocks Andrew Tate after he tweets ‘The Matrix’ about arrest
Elon Musk has mocked influencer Andrew Tate after tweets on his social media account blamed “The Matrix” for his arrest in Romania.
A tweet from Tate’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.”
In apparent response to these, Twitter CEO Elon Musk posted a meme.
Stuti Mishra January 1, 2023 9:12 am
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Pizza box did not lead to Andrew Tate’s arrest, Romanian authorities say
A pizza box failed to alert Romanian law enforcement to the whereabouts of misogynistic influencer Andrew Tate before he was arrested for human trafficking, authorities say.
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 led to speculation that the local pizzeria had revealed its location.
But the arrest of the misogynistic 36-year-old social media personality and her brother on Thursday followed a months-long investigation.
Alex Woodward has more details here:
Stuti Mishra January 1, 2023 07:00 AM
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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 general awareness of his dangerous and misogynistic ideology that is totally at odds with Islam,” writes Hafsa Lodi.
Stuti Mishra January 1, 2023 5:40 am
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Andrew Tate’s ex-police model girlfriend was reportedly arrested as a suspect
A model and a former police officer 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.
Although Romanian police have yet to confirm, two women named Luana Radu, 32, and Georgiana Naghel, 28, were arrested for working as Tate’s “closest lieutenants,” according to the Daily Mail.
Radu is a former Romanian police sub-inspector, while Naghel has been described as a businesswoman who is said to be in a relationship with Tate.
Stuti Mishra January 1, 2023 4:27 am
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Which social networks have banned it and why?
“Misogyny is a hateful ideology that is not tolerated on TikTok. We have been removing offending videos and accounts for weeks and welcome the news that other platforms are also taking action against this person,” a spokesperson told The Independent.
However, most of Tate’s viral videos on the platform are shared by fan pages and other users.
TikTok said it is using technology to completely remove duplicate clips of Tate’s content from the platform and is reviewing new content as it is shared.
Tate has also been removed from Facebook and Instagram. A Meta spokesperson told The Independent that Tate had been banned from both platforms for violating its policies, citing the company’s guidelines on “Dangerous Individuals and Organizations.”
Natalie Crockett January 1, 2023 3:25 am
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What are the controversies surrounding Andrew Tate?
In 2016, Andrew Tate was kicked out of Big Brother season 17 after just six days, after a video emerged showing Tate hitting a woman with a belt. In a statement, Tate and the woman in the video said the actions in the video were consensual.
Tate has since come under much criticism, mainly 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 I’ve been through less shit “.
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Natalie Crockett January 1, 2023 02:25 am
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Who is controversial TikTok influencer Andrew Tate?
Andrew Tate has been criticized for selling “misogynistic views” and “negative representations of masculinity”.
The former kickboxer and social media influencer was born in the US but came to live in Britain when he was four.
He is also the founder of Hustler’s University, an online “academy” where members pay a monthly fee in exchange for advice on how to make passive income from various online industries.
Read more about him and his controversies here:
Natalie Crockett January 1, 2023 1:25 am
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Influencer Andrew Tate’s social media account continues to blame “The Matrix” for his arrest in Romania.
One tweet, posted Saturday evening while he remains behind bars, read: “God is on our side so 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 Crockett January 1, 2023 12:25 AM