The controversial online influencer and misogynist Andrew Tate has been put in pre-trial detention in Romania following his arrest on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group. The former kickboxer and reality TV star, who has been banned from a number of social media platforms for misogynistic comments and hate speech, was arrested alongside his brother and two other suspects. On Friday the four suspects were placed in pre-trial detention for 30 days following their arrest late on Thursday, according to a spokesperson for Romania’s anti-organised crime unit. Authorities said they had searched five homes as part of the investigation, and released footage of one of the raids, showing riot police entering a luxurious residence. Footage of items seized at the location showed stacks of euro notes and a handgun. In a statement, authorities said two British citizens and two Romanians were accused of forming a gang that recruited victims by “misrepresenting their intention to enter into a marriage/cohabitation relationship and the existence of genuine feelings of love”. Later, the victims were forced to perform pornography “through physical violence and mental coercion”. Authorities said so far six victims had been identified. The statement also mentioned a separate allegation of rape dating to March this year, although it did not specify against which suspect the allegation was levelled. The Tate brothers have been under criminal investigation in Romania since April, when police raided their mansion in Bucharest after the US embassy received a tip-off claiming that a 21-year-old American woman was being held there against her will. The Tate brothers were questioned and later released, but the investigation was expanded to cover rape and human trafficking allegations. On Friday, Tate posted an apparent reference to his arrest on his recently reinstated Twitter account, writing: “The Matrix sent their agents,” using a term taken from the eponymous blockbuster – whose “red pill” trope has proven popular among misogynistic online groups – for a simulated world that controls humans. Prior to the tweet, a spokesperson for Tate told the Daily Mirror he could not provide any details regarding the most recent reports. “However, Andrew and Tristan Tate have the utmost respect for the Romanian authorities and will always assist and help in any way they can.” Tate, whose popularity has increased enormously over the past year, has been kicked off numerous social media platforms for posting hate speech and misogyny. Domestic abuse charities have characterised Tate’s views as extreme misogyny, with the potential of radicalising men to commit violence against women. In numerous videos, Tate gives graphic descriptions of violence against women. He was banned from Twitter in 2017, after stating that victims of sexual violence should bear some responsibility for the acts. His account was reinstated in November after Elon Musk’s takeover of the company and now has 3.5 million followers. Over the past week he has been engaged in a Twitter standoff with the climate activist Greta Thunberg, attempting to troll her by telling her about his large collection of emission-heavy cars. Thunberg responded by implying Tate had “small-dick energy”. This prompted Tate to release a two-minute video during which he asked somebody out of shot to bring him pizza and to make sure the boxes were “not recycled”. Following online speculation that the brand of pizza featured in the video helped police confirm Tate’s presence in Romania, Thunberg quipped on Twitter that “this is what happens when you don’t recycle your pizza boxes”. However, the anti-organised crime unit representative said that it was not the case that Tate’s arrest had been made as a result of the pizza boxes. Tate has used his Twitter account to advertise a platform that he claims will help people escape “the Matrix”. Tate claimed in his video response to Thunberg that the “global matrix” was behind Thunberg’s comments going viral. Membership of Tate’s platform, which says it will train people to “build a large income at speed” via skills such as cryptocurrency investing, costs $49.99 (£41.50) a month. The Center for Countering Digital Hate, a campaign group, said Tate was using his “attention-seeking, algorithm-gaming content … to promote his latest money-making scheme”.