Online influencer Andrew Tate detained in Romania, handed UK arrest warrant, his spokesperson says

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Online influencer Andrew Tate was detained in Romania and handed an arrest warrant issued by British authorities, his spokesperson said Tuesday.

Tate, 37, and his brother Tristan Tate were detained Monday evening on allegations of sexual aggression in a U.K. case dating back to 2012-2015, spokesperson Mateea Petrescu said.

She said the Bucharest Court of Appeal is set to make a “pivotal decision” Tuesday on whether to execute the warrants issued by U.K.’s Westminster Magistrates Court.

Four women had reported Tate to the U.K. authorities for alleged sexual violence and physical abuse, but the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to prosecute him. The alleged victims then turned to crowdfunding to cover their legal costs as they pursue a civil case against him.

“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 U.K. authorities would not prosecute him,” they state on their campaign page. “It’s our one remaining route to hold him accountable.”

Tate is charged in a separate case in Romania with rape, human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. He was arrested near Bucharest in December 2022 along with his brother Tristan and two Romanian women. Romanian prosecutors formally indicted all four in June last year and they have denied the allegations.

Andrew Tate, who has amassed 8.7 million followers on the social media platform X, has repeatedly claimed that Romanian prosecutors have no evidence against him and that there is a political conspiracy to silence him. He was previously banned from various prominent social media platforms for expressing misogynistic views and for hate speech.

After their arrest in Romania, the Tate brothers were held for three months in police detention before being moved to house arrest. They were later restricted to the areas of Bucharest Municipality and nearby Ilfov County.

In January, Tate won an appeal challenging the seizure of his assets by Romanian authorities, which were confiscated in the weeks after he was arrested.

Romanian authorities had seized 15 luxury cars, 14 designer watches and cash in several currencies worth an estimated 3.6 million euros ($3.9 million).