Greta Thunberg claims credit for Andrew Tate's 'loverboy' rape arrest

Greta Thunberg has claimed her Twitter spat with social media influencer Andrew Tate led to his arrest.

Authorities in Romania said Tate, 36, a former professional kickboxer, used the "loverboy" method of trafficking, which involves a man luring a victim into a relationship in order to sexually exploit them later on.

He was arrested on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group.

Earlier this week, the British national was embroiled in a row on with Thunberg, the teenage climate activist, on Twitter after he told her he owned 33 cars with "enormous emissions".

Thunberg joked that Tate had "small d--- energy" before he posted a video in response while posing alongside a Romanian pizza box.

Following his arrest, there were claims, which have not been proven, that the pizza box led to authorities finding his location.

Responding to his arrest this morning, Thunberg wrote:

Tate, who is banned from many social media platforms for misogynistic comments and hate speech, was arrested on Thursday at his home in Bucharest alongside his brother Tristan.

They will be detained for 24 hours alongside two Romanian suspects, prosecutors from the anti-organised-crime unit said in a statement after raiding their properties in Bucharest.

The Tate brothers have been under criminal investigation since April. They declined to comment but their lawyer confirmed they had been detained.

Prosecutors claim they found six women who the suspects had sexually exploited.

"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 meant to be seen on specialised websites for a cost," prosecutors said.

"They would have gained important sums of money."

'Guns, knives, and money'

Romania's Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) earlier issued a statement, but did not name the Tate brothers, stating that two British citizens and two Romanian citizens were suspected of being part of a criminal group focused on human trafficking.

It also released a video of the raid, showing guns, knives, and money on display in one room.

According to the organisation, six injured people have been identified in relation to the investigation, one of whom is said to have been violently sexually assaulted in March.

Some of the suspects allegedly used the "loverboy" method of trafficking, which involves a man luring a victim into a relationship in order to sexually exploit them later on, DIICOT said.

Mr Tate rose to fame when he appeared on the reality TV show Big Brother in 2016, however, he was removed from the programme after a video surfaced online which appeared to show him attacking a woman with a belt - a clip he claimed had been edited.

'Absolutely a misogynist'

He has since gained further notoriety online for a number of comments about women, including suggesting that they “bear some responsibility” for being assaulted - an incident for which he was banned from Twitter.

Videos of Mr Tate have gone viral on social media, including one in which he was interviewed by a YouTuber in which he said he was “absolutely a misogynist”, adding: “I’m a realist and when you’re a realist you’re sexist. There’s no way you can be rooted in reality and not be sexist.”

He also said in the same video that women are “intrinsically lazy” and that there was “no such thing as an independent female”.

In another video, Mr Tate has said: “If I have responsibility over her, then I must have a degree of authority.”

“You can’t be responsible for a dog if it doesn’t obey you,” he added.

Responding to his Facebook and Instagram ban, Mr Tate said in 2019: “It is very unfortunate that old videos of me, where I was playing a comedic character, have been taken out of context and amplified to the point where people believe absolutely false narratives about me.

“In the last two weeks I dedicated over one million dollars to charities supporting women. I posted this on Instagram, but Instagram ignored it.

'Internet sensationalism'

“I have made videos explaining that my mother is my hero, and how men should protect and provide for women. Instagram ignored it.

“Internet sensationalism has purported the idea that I’m anti-women when nothing could be further from the truth. This is simply hate mobs who are uninterested in the facts of the matter trying to personally attack me.”

He added that it was a “massive shame” that Instagram “bowed to pressure” and blocked him, saying that his account would be a “beacon of light, teaching people of all genders and races how to respect one another for years to come”.

He continued: “Banning me only inspires more internet hate mobs and more division…I am genuinely innocent.”