Andrew Tate released after arrest in Romania on new sex assault charges
Bucharest, Romania - Far-right influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have been arrested in Romania again, this time over British sex offense 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 offenses, 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 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" that the spokesperson insisted had already been dismissed. The brothers "unequivocally deny all allegations and decry what they perceive as an exploitative use of the legal system."
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 crimes took place in the 2010s, when Tate was based in Britain.
The British law firm representing them said that the allegations included "violent rapes, serious physical assault, and controlling and coercive behavior."
UPDATE, 12:59 PM EST: Andrew Tate released from Romanian custody
Tate will face extradition to Britain over the sex offense accusations, but only after his separate case on human trafficking and other charges in Romania is finished, a judge ordered Tuesday.
Tate and his brother Tristan were released from Romanian custody following their arrest Monday on a UK warrant that came as they await trial on the Romanian charges.
The men will remain under Romanian court supervision, pending a new court decision expected on Wednesday.
Cover photo: via REUTERS