Romania detains Andrew Tate over UK sex offense charges: police

Agence France-Presse·12 March 2024, 5:30 pm·1 min read

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Romania detains Andrew Tate over UK sex offense charges: police — (FILE PHOTO) Andrew Tate (L) and Tristan Tate (R) walk from the Bucharest's Court of Appeal after a hearing about their demand to be allowed to leave Romania as their mother allegedly suffered a heart attack, in Bucharest, on 22 December 2023. Controversial influencer Andrew Tate and his brother have been arrested in Romania over UK sex offence charges, police said on 12 March 2024. Police said in a statement it executed "two European arrest warrants issued by the UK judicial authorities for the committing of sexual offenses, of exploitation of persons on the territory of the UK".
Daniel MIHAILESCU / AFP

Controversial influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have been arrested in Romania over UK sexual offense charges, police said on Tuesday.

Romanian authorities said in a statement 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 ordered they be held for 24 hours, police said.

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 was "under arrest", adding that the warrants were "issued by (the) Westminster Magistrates Court".

In June 2023, lawyers for four women threatened Tate with a lawsuit in the English 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 offenses took place between 2013-2016, when Tate was based in the UK.

A statement from the UK law firm representing them said allegations "including violent rapes, serious physical assault, and controlling and coercive behavior."

Tate's spokesperson said that Andrew and Tristan Tate "unequivocally deny all allegations and decry what they perceive as an exploitative use of the legal system."