Andrew Tate has been arrested in Romania on a European arrest warrant issued by British authorities on allegations including sexual aggression, his spokesperson said Tuesday.
The controversial social media influencer was detained along with his brother Tristan Tate in connection with the claims relating to a case in the U.K. from 2012-2015, his team said in a statement. Romanian authorities said the allegations also include exploiting people in Great Britain.
Tate, 37, and his sibling were brought before the prosecutor attached to the Bucharest Court of Appeal who in turn ordered that the pair remain in custody for 24 hours. A court on Tuesday will decide whether or not to “execute” the warrants, a representative for Tate said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Four women made allegations of physical abuse and sexual violence against Tate, but England and Wales’ Crown Prosecution Service ultimately chose not to prosecute him. The women then began a crowdfunding campaign to bring a civil case against him, saying they hoped the proceedings would lead to the payment of damages but also spur the reopening of a criminal investigation in Britain.
Mateea Petrescu, a spokesperson for Tate, described the arrest warrants against the brothers as a “bewildering revival of decade-old accusations.” “They categorically reject all charges and express profound disappointment that such serious allegations are being resurrected without substantial new evidence,” Petrescu added.
Tate is currently involved in a separate legal battle in Romania over allegations of rape, human trafficking, and forming a criminal organization to sexually exploit women. He and his brother were detained along with two Romanian women in December 2022, with all four criminally indicted in the case last year. They all deny the charges against them.
Following the arrest, the Tate brothers were kept in police detention for three months before being released to house arrest. They were then given permission to move around certain areas of Romania, though they were not allowed to leave the country.
The former kickboxing champion and self-styled “misogynist” became a prominent figure in Britain when he was kicked out of the Big Brother reality TV show after a video emerged of him hitting a woman with a belt, though both he and the women claimed the act was consensual.
He has since repeatedly told his almost 9-million-strong audience on X that he is being subjected to baseless criminal proceedings for which prosecutors lack evidence, insisting instead on the existence of a sprawling conspiracy against him which he calls “the Matrix.”
“The Matrix is afraid, but I only fear God,” he posted Tuesday.
