Romania Detains Tate Brothers for Alleged Sex Crimes in UK

Online influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate were detained by the Romanian authorities on request from the UK over accusations that they committed sex crimes in Britain in the period from 2012 to 2015.

Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan arrive for a pre-trial hearing in Bucharest, February 2024. Photo: EPA-EFE/Robert Ghement

Andrew and Tristan Tate, who are already facing charges of human trafficking and rape, were arrested again late Monday in the Romanian town of Voluntari at the request of the British authorities on charges related to alleged crimes committed in the UK from 2012 to 2015.

“On March 11, around 11.15pm, police officers of the Criminal Investigation Service, the Special Actions Service and police officers from Voluntari implemented two European arrest warrants, issued by the judicial authorities in Great Britain, for the commission of crimes of sexual exploitation of some people on the territory of Great Britain,” said a press release issued by the Ilfov County Police.

The two men, who live in Voluntari, were detained for 24 hours. Both brothers have denied all the charges against them.

“Andrew and Tristan Tate unequivocally deny all allegations and decry what they perceive as an exploitative use of the legal system. They are fully committed to challenging these accusations with unwavering determination and resolve,” their spokesperson told The Guardian newspaper.

In June 2023, Romania’s Directorate for the Investigation of Organised Crime and Terrorism, DIICOT, charged both brothers, alongside two women alleged to be their accomplices, with human trafficking and rape.

DIICOT claimed that they established a criminal group to sexually exploit women at the start of 2021. One of the victims was allegedly forced by one of the defendants, through the use of physical violence and psychological pressure, to repeatedly have sex.

The brothers have also denied these allegations.

In August 2023, the Tate brothers were released from house arrest, but their movements were restricted to Ilfov County, where they live, and the municipality of Bucharest, except with the prior judicial approval.

In September 2023, the two brothers asked the court for permission to leave Romania. Their request was rejected but they were allowed to move around within Romania.

The Bucharest Court of Appeal ruled in December 2023 that restrictions on their movement should remain and that they should not be allowed to leave Romania.

Last Thursday, they again asked Romanian judges to allow them to leave the country, claiming that their mother had suffered a heart attack.

The Bucharest Court of Appeal is to decide on Tuesday on the implementation of the European arrest warrants issued at the request of the UK.