Andrew Tate and his brother ‘detained in Romania after arrest warrant issued by UK’

Both brothers were arrested on Monday evening and face charges dating between 2012 and 2015

Online influencer Andrew Tate and his brother have been detained in Romania after arrest warrants were issued by UK authorities, his spokesperson has said.

The brothers were detained on Monday evening and face allegations of sexual aggression that date between 2012 and 2015.

Tate, 37, and his brother Tristan were held for 24 hours and informed of a European arrest warrant while an investigation is pending, with the two denying all allegations against them.

Their spokesperson Mateea Petrescu said the Bucharest Court of Appeal is set to make a “pivotal decision” on Tuesday on whether to execute the warrants issued by the UK’s Westminster Magistrates Court.

(AP)

Four women announced last year that they were preparing to sue Andrew Tate in London’s High Court, alleging that he had raped and coercively controlled them.

Three of these women had previously reported Tate to the police for alleged sexual violence and physical abuse, but the Crown Prosecution Service decided against bringing charges in 2019. A fourth woman came forward after learning about their proposed legal action in a Vice World News article.

“We handed over our evidence about the horrific acts of violence we endured and waited for action. But four years later we were told the UK authorities would not prosecute him,” they state on their campaign page. “It’s our one remaining route to hold him accountable.”

The alleged victims then turned to crowdfunding to cover their legal costs and began to pursue a civil case against them.

The brothers are also facing human trafficking charges in Romania (AP)

McCue Jury & Partners, the legal firm representing the four British women who have accused Tate, said in a statement they had urged British police to “immediately seek a warrant” for Tate’s detention and extradition after they received information last week that he might be planning to flee Romania.

“Today’s news is very welcome as it had been a significant concern to many that Tate would seek to avoid justice in Romania and abroad,” said Matthew Jury, a managing partner at the law firm.

“We are grateful to the British authorities for taking our concerns seriously and issuing an arrest warrant. Tate is accused of serious criminal offences against a large number of victims and he must be held accountable.”

In a statement, the brothers’ PR team said they “categorically deny” the allegations. It isn’t immediately clear what Tristan Tate is accused of in the UK.

Their Eugen Vidineac told journalists at the court on Tuesday that “as far as we know, this investigation was already closed, we don’t know if this investigation is re-opened, if there is any new evidence submitted by the authorities.”

A post appeared on Tate’s X account on Tuesday that read, “The Matrix is afraid, but I only fear God.” He uses the term “Matrix” to refer to what he sees as a wide-ranging conspiracy targeting men.

Tate has gained millions of fans in recent years after styling himself as the “king of toxic masculinity, and has previously claimed that women cannot drive, belong in the home and are a man’s property.

He has 8.9 million followers on X, formerly Twitter, but has been banned on several other platforms including TikTok for his misogynistic views, which have occasionally appeared to advocate violence against women.

Both Andrew and Tristan Tate ‘categorically deny’ the allegations (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The social media influencer is also facing rape and human trafficking charges in Romania after he and his brother were detained alongside two women in December 2022.

They are accused of foming an alleged organised crime group with the intention of sexually exploiting women and are awaiting trial.

In August 2023, Tate won an appeal to be released from house arrest and is now able to travel anywhere within Romania, but is unable to leave the country.

A Romanian court also overturned the decision in January to seize his assets, which saw him regain access to his properties, supercars and designer items.

Among them included 14 designer watches, 15 luxury cards and more than 10 properties with the sezied assets believed to be worth £3.12m.