Romanian police widen Andrew Tate probe

Romanian police are widening their probe into the human trafficking and rape allegations levelled against ex-professional kickboxer Andrew Tate, according to news reports.

The BBC said that Romanian authorities seized Tate’s fleet of luxury cars from his Bucharest compound over the weekend, and raided seven more properties,  including a newly renovated villa beneath the Carpathian Mountains.

One of the cars, a grey Porsche, was seen on a tow truck in a picture that went viral on social media platforms. the BBC said a slow procession of trucks carried his “prized luxury cars to join him in police custody.”

Andrew Tate, his brother Tristan and two Romanian female suspects were detained on Dec. 29 on charges of forming a criminal gang to exploit six women sexually. They have denied wrongdoing.

The BBC said that some believed that the confiscation of the cars as a sign that the Romanian authorities “are preparing for the next stage in this case, securing assets as collateral against potential compensation claims from victims, in the event that Andrew Tate or his brother Tristan are charged with people trafficking.”

“Raids on seven more properties last week are widely seen as a sign that investigators are expanding their search for evidence in the case,” the BBC added.

The raids follow social media platforms revoking the accounts of the British-American internet personality. But Tate dismissed the allegations, saying that the authorities, in collaboration with social media platforms, are seeking to silence him.

The Guardian reported on a Tate’s TikTok account, saying it was “violent and misogynistic world.” It said Tate believed that women belong in the home, can’t drive, and are a man’s property.

“He also thinks rape victims must ‘bear responsibility’ for their attacks and dates women aged 18–19 because he can ‘make an imprint’ on them, according to videos posted online,” the Guardian added.

In other clips, it added, Tate posed with fast cars, guns and portrayed himself as a cigar-smoking playboy. It said he talked about hitting and choking women, trashing their belongings and preventing them from going out.

In a related development, Twitter CEO Elon Musk said that he felt guilty because he lifted a ban on Tate’s Twitter account, the Namal reported.