Romania Searches 7 Homes in Case of Influencer Andrew Tate

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) Romanias anti-organized crime agency has carried out additional house searches in its investigation into divisive social media influencer Andrew Tate, an official said Thursday.

Ramona Bolla, spokesperson for the agency, DIICOT, said searches are taking place in the counties of Bucharest, Ilfov, and Prahova "in order to obtain further evidence.

Tate, 36, a British-U.S. citizen who has 4.5 million followers on Twitter, was detained on Dec. 29. in Romanias capital, Bucharest, on charges of being part of an organized crime group, human trafficking, and rape. His brother, Tristan, and two Romanian women were also arrested.

On Tuesday, a court upheld a judges Dec. 30 move to extend their arrest from 24 hours to 30 days.