Why have police raided Andrew Tate’s Romanian home again?

Controversial American-British internet influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan were arrested in Romania on a European warrant issued by the United Kingdom earlier this year, with both men accused of sexual assault. On Wednesday morning reports broke stating that local police had raided the property with it being linked to the investigation into human trafficking charges, including that of minors.

DIICOT, Romania’s anti-organized crime agency, stated that it was searching four homes in Bucharest and nearby Ilfov county, linked to the aforementioned investigation, which also includes sexual intercourse with a minor, influencing statements and money laundering. Hearings, it said, will be held at its headquarters.

Shortly after the raids, Tate’s official X account posted a video where he attempted to flip the narrative.

‘The Matrix is real,’ the attached comment read. ‘And they have a tried and true playbook. Slander is their number one tool and the process is the punishment. But unfortunately for them, Good always wins in the end.’

Background to Andrew Tate arrests

The initial accusations date back to alleged crimes committed by the two brothers between 2012 and 2015, although both categorically rejected the charges presented. The Romanian Police indicated that the arrest warrants against the two had been issued by British authorities in March, who also accused them of exploitation.

The brothers were taken to a court in Bucharest, the capital of Romania, and were ordered to remain 24 hours in preventive detention. However, Tate’s team claimed this was a measure that left the two “deeply helpless” and involved bringing back “accusations that date back more than a decade.”

“They categorically reject all charges and express their deepest disappointment that the allegations have been brought up again without significant evidence,” Tate’s camp said in a statement.

Andrew Tate and the organized crime group

The Romanian Prosecutor’s Office also accuses both brothers of having formed an organized criminal group through which they recruited, housed and forced women to create materials with pornographic content for subsequent distribution.

With the help of other Romanians who were also arrested, the alleged criminal organization supposedly deceived women in the United States and the United Kingdom to bring them to Romania.

Tate had already been arrested in December 2022 in Bucharest along with his brother and two Romanian women accused in the same case. However, in March 2023 an appeals court ordered the release of the self-proclaimed misogynist and his brother.

The court then rejected the proposal to extend the duration of the preventive arrest imposed against the brothers and the two co-accused Romanian citizens.

Who is Andrew Tate?

A native of the United States and raised in England, Tate is a former professional kickboxer. He works as an entrepreneur and content creator on social networks, where he has become one of the most well-known and controversial names on TikTok for spouting right-wing and sexist views.

According to the Celebrity Net Worth website, Andrew Tate has a net worth of $20 million, the result of his career in the kickboxing and businesses undertaken after his retirement from the ring.

Tate began his sports career in 2005, when he began practicing boxing and kickboxing. Four years later, he established himself as cruiserweight champion of the International Sports Karate Association in Derby, England, and was ranked number one in his weight in Europe.

The man first rose to fame outside of sports when he appeared on Big Brother in the 2016 season in the United Kingdom, which ended in controversy for Tate. He was expelled from the reality show after a video in which he was seen hitting a woman with a belt.