Who is Andrew Tate, controversial internet star whose social media spat with Greta Thunberg led to his arrest?

American-British social media personality and businessman Andrew Tate was arrested in Europe’s Romania on Friday in a human trafficking case. The reports of Tate’s arrest come after the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism in Bucharest (DIICOT) raided his home and conducted searches in connection with the kidnapping of two girls.

Tate, who has a massive following on social media, was recently in the news for attempting to troll young climate activist Greta Thunberg. Tate had taken a dig at Greta for being vocal about emissions, saying that he would send a list of the luxury cars he owned, including Bugatti and two Ferraris, and their enormous emissions. The young Swedish activist had a savage comeback where she asked Tate to enlighten her with an email at smalld**kenergy@getalife.com. The spat created a storm and Greta was praised by netizens for her comeback on the ridiculous, uncalled for ridicule.

Andrew Tate put out a video in response to Greta Thunberg’s comments. The video showed a pizza box from a Romanian chain. This allowed the Romanian authorities to confirm that Tate was in the country, which led to his arrest.

Romanian authorities needed proof that Andrew Tate was in the country so they reportedly used his social media posts. His ridiculous video yesterday featured a pizza from a Romanian pizza chain, Jerry's Pizza, confirming he was in the country.

This is absolutely epic. pic.twitter.com/kyz4pqegkJ

— Alejandra Caraballo (@Esqueer_) December 29, 2022

Tate is a highly controversial celebrity who has come under fire at times for his comments which have been termed “misogynistic” and offensive. He has faced several bans from social media platforms, including the likes of Facebook and Instagram. Here’s all you need to know about him. 

Who is Andrew Tate?

Apart from an internet personality and an entrepreneur, Tate is a former kickboxer . He had 76 wins and nine losses in his kickboxing career. Tate first gained prominence around 2010 when he appeared as a contestant on a dating show called “Take Me Out”. He has since then gained notoriety for his inflammatory comments and acts on social media. 

Tate was born in 1990 to a wealthy family in London. He went to a private school and then pursued higher education at Oxford University. He then ventured into kickboxing and held multiple titles including WAKO K-1 World Champion and WKA Muay Thai World Champion.

Apart from kickboxing, Tate gained prominence and following on the internet with his controversial statements on relationship, race and politics. He also turned into a successful businessman with ventures that include an online course teaching men how to pick up women. He has made shocking statements comparing women to property, belittling intelligence of the entire sex and saying that women should “take responsibility” for being sexually assaulted. 

(With inputs from agencies)