Romania detains Andrew Tate over UK sex offence charges

Controversial British-American influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have been arrested in Romania over UK sex offence charges, police said on Tuesday.

Romanian authorities said in a statement that they executed "two European arrest warrants issued by the UK judicial authorities for the committing of sexual offences, of exploitation of persons on the territory of the UK".

A Bucharest court of appeals is expected to rule later on Tuesday whether to extend their detention.

Tate -- a self-described misogynist with a large online presence -- is awaiting trial in Romania along with his brother on separate charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal group to sexually exploit women.

Tate's spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday that the pair has been "under arrest" since Monday evening, adding that the warrants were "issued by (the) Westminster Magistrates Court".

In this case, the charges date back to "2012-2015" and "include allegations of sexual aggression", the spokesperson said.

According to the spokesperson, the charges were "dismissed by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in 2017-2019" but have now "resurfaced".

In June 2023, lawyers for four women threatened Tate with a lawsuit in the British courts over allegations of sexual assault, serving the former kickboxer with legal papers by British law firm McCue Jury and Partners.

The women, now in their late twenties and early thirties, say the offences took place in the 2010s, when Tate was based in Britain.

The UK law firm representing them said that the allegations included "violent rapes, serious physical assault, and controlling and coercive behaviour".

The firm said on X, formerly Twitter, that it will issue a statement on behalf of their British clients later today.

Tate's spokesperson said that the 37-year-old former kickboxer and his brother Tristan, 35, "unequivocally deny all allegations and decry what they perceive as an exploitative use of the legal system".

The two brothers are suspected of having formed an organised criminal group in early 2021 in Romania, as well as in the United States and Britain.

They allegedly coerced women into forced labour and pornographic acts for "substantial financial benefits".

At the end of 2022 they were arrested in Romania and spent three months in detention.

In 2016, Tate appeared on the "Big Brother" reality television show in Britain but was removed after a video emerged showing him attacking a woman.

He then turned to social media platforms to promote his divisive views.

Giving tips on how to be successful, along with misogynistic and sometimes violent maxims, Tate's videos have made him one of the world's best-known influencers.

Andrew Tate's X handle "Cobratate" currently has almost nine million followers.