The Romanian Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism has arrested one of the most controversial social media stars.
Andrew Tate, known worldwide for his misogyny and hubris, was apprehended after unintentionally revealing his whereabouts in a Twitter feud with climate change activist Greta Thunberg.
Romanian authorities allege Tate, and his brother Tristian, are part of an organized crime ring involved in the sex trafficking of women and rape. At least six women were allegedly held captive by the men and forced to perform pornography for their financial benefit.
Tate had been under investigation for some time but had evaded detention.
His social media spat gave law enforcement in Romania everything they needed to find him.
The Wrap further reports:
According to local media, the scheme involved Tate and his brother luring women they met on social media to their home and then imprisoning them there. They ended up on law enforcement radar when one of their victims, an American woman, somehow managed to get her location information to a boyfriend who then brought the matter to the U.S. embassy. During the raid, several women, including one American and a woman from Moldova, were rescued.
Tate first attempted to goad Thunberg by bragging about his scores of luxury sports cars and their carbon footprint. Thunberg promptly responded.
WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE
Tate, 36, continued in the hopes of getting a rise out of the 19-year-old Thunberg. That's when, as The Wrap details, he made a crucial mistake:
That was the last thing she had to say on the matter. Nevertheless, Tate seemed obsessed with her, as he tried for more than 10 hours to get her attention again. This culminated in an embarrassing video during which he accidentally showed a box from a local pizza chain — which revealed his location. Whoops.
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Enjoy the flames Greta Doomsburg!
Kudos to 19-year-old Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg and the Romanian authorities for striking a blow against the Tate brothers’ alleged human trafficking scheme. Is there an award that can be given for meritorious service to humanity from the #MeToo movement? Such an award for all involved in the Tate apprehension would be justly deserved.
Well, at least she finally served a worthwhile purpose….and to think, the most important part of it was to keep her mouth closed and her fingers off the keyboard. Now, if only she would do that more often.
One down and thousands to go.