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Controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have been arrested in Romania over allegations of sexual aggression.

The brothers were detained on Monday night on charges that date back to between 2012 and 2015.

They were handed an European arrest warrant issued by Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London – and an investigation is pending.

Police officers escort Andrew Tate and his  Tristan to the Court of Appeal in Bucharest, Romania.
Pic: AP
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Police officers escort Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan to the Court of Appeal in Bucharest, Romania. Pic: AP

Andrew, 37, and Tristan, 35, deny all allegations against them. Their representatives said they were “fully committed to challenging these accusations with unwavering determination and resolve”.

They are due to appear in the Bucharest Court of Appeal on Tuesday for a decision on whether the warrant should be executed.

A lawyer representing four women who accused Tate of rape and sexual assault said they alerted British police to immediately seek his detention after receiving information last week that he was planning to flee Romania, a statement said.

Matthew Jury, managing partner at McCue Jury and Partners said he welcomed Tate’s arrest “as it has been a significant concern to many that Tate would seek to avoid justice in Romania and abroad”.

He added: “We are grateful to the British authorities for taking our concerns seriously and issuing an arrest warrant.”

The lawyer also urged Piers Morgan, Tucker Carson and others to stop giving Tate a platform “or at least encourage them to properly interrogate him on the allegations”.

“Allowing Tate to spread disinformation about the allegations of criminality he faces, not just in the UK, only helps to support and spread his toxic influence further amongst vulnerable young men and boys, something we should all be seeking to put an end to,” he said.

Read more: Who is Andrew Tate?

The law firm said the four British accusers were the subject of an investigation by Hertfordshire Constabulary.

The Hertfordshire investigation was closed in 2019.

The brothers are facing rape and human trafficking charges in Romania, where they live, and had previously been in jail and later under house arrest since they were detained in December 2022.

They were charged alongside two Romanian women who are accused of being part of the alleged organised crime group.

It is alleged all four formed the group in 2021 to commit human trafficking in Romania and other countries – including the US and UK.

Tate won an appeal in August 2023 to be released from house arrest as he awaits trial on a date which has yet to be decided.

The brothers were told they were able to travel anywhere within Romania but could not leave the country.

In January, a Romanian court also overturned a decision to seize Tate’s assets, which saw him regain access to his supercars, properties and designer watches.

Prosecutors said in January last year that they had seized 15 luxury vehicles and more than 10 properties and homes belonging to the suspects to prevent the assets from being sold or hidden.

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From January 2023: Andrew Tate’s cars confiscated from villa

Fourteen designer watches, two ingots – blocks of usually precious metal – and cash, were also confiscated, with authorities saying at the time the seized property was worth €3.6m (£3.12m).

Tate, a former kickboxer and Big Brother contestant, gained millions of fans on social media in recent years after styling himself as the “king of toxic masculinity”.

He has 8.9 million followers on X, formerly Twitter, but has been banned on several other platforms including TikTok for his misogynistic views.

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Alexander Zurawski: Mum sentenced for killing six-year-old son after hearing ‘demonic voices’

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Alexander Zurawski: Mum sentenced for killing six-year-old son after hearing 'demonic voices'

A mum has been sentenced for killing her six-year-old son after hearing “demonic voices”.

Karolina Zurawska, 42, previously pleaded guilty to the manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility of Alexander Zurawski.

Alexander was found dead at a property in the Gendros area of Swansea on 29 August last year.

His mother was found next to him with a handsaw at her side.

At Swansea Crown Court on Friday, the judge also sentenced Zurawska for the attempted murder of her 67-year-old father, Krzysztof Siwi, earlier the same day.

She was handed an indefinite hospital order.

The court heard Zurawska had previously been the “best mother” to her son, who was recovering from a brain tumour which left him partially sighted and requiring a cane to walk.

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In a tribute released after his death, Alexander’s family said he was a “very kind child” who was “very clever and very mature for his age”.

“Alexander was always well behaved and never naughty,” the statement added.

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Cardinal Vincent Nichols: British cardinal who will be in the conclave says picking the next pope is ‘intimidating’

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Cardinal Vincent Nichols: British cardinal who will be in the conclave says picking the next pope is 'intimidating'

The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales has told Sky News it’s “intimidating” to be one of those responsible for choosing the next pope.

Vincent Nichols is among four UK cardinals in Rome for the Pope’s funeral on Saturday.

Following the funeral, and after nine days of mourning, cardinals from around the world will gather in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel to cast their votes, with white smoke announcing to the world when a new pope has been elected.

Cardinal Nichols told Sky’s Anna Botting: “I hope nobody goes into this conclave, as it were, with the sole purpose of wanting to win. I think it’s very important that we go in wanting to listen to each other… It has to be together, trying to sense what God wants next. Not just for the church.”

Becoming emotional, he also said the final message he would like to have given Pope Francis is “thank you”.

The 88-year-old died peacefully on Easter Monday, the Vatican confirmed.

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Pope’s cause of death confirmed .

Heads of state – including Sir Keir Starmer, Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron – have all confirmed their attendance at his funeral, which takes place on Saturday at St Peter’s Square.

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Prince William will attend on behalf of the King, Kensington Palace has said.

Cardinal Nichols explained that the funeral would be “exactly the same Catholic rite as everyone else – just on a grander scale”.

In a break from tradition, Pope Francis will be the first pope in a century to be interred outside the Vatican – and will instead be laid to rest at his favourite church, Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome’s Esquilino neighbourhood.

He will also be buried in just one simple wooden coffin, instead of the traditional three coffins which are usually used for pontiffs.

Born in Crosby near Liverpool, Cardinal Vincent Nichols hoped to be a lorry driver as a child – but as a teenager reportedly felt the calling to join the priesthood while watching Liverpool FC.

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Where will Pope Francis be buried?

As cardinal, he is known for leading the church’s work tackling human trafficking and modern slavery, for which he received the UN Path to Peace Award.

He was criticised by the UK’s Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, which said he “demonstrated a lack of understanding” of the impact of abuse and “seemingly put the reputation of the church first”.

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3D map shows pope’s funeral route

Cardinal Nichols, responding to the findings, previously told Sky News he was “ashamed at what has happened in the context of the Catholic Church” and promised to improve the church’s response.

He has appeared to rule himself out of the running for pope, telling reporters he was “too old, not capable”.

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Man shot dead by police had called 999 himself, preliminary report indicates

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Man shot dead by police had called 999 himself, preliminary report indicates

A man who was shot dead by police had called 999 himself, an initial investigation into the death has suggested.

David Joyce was killed by “a single gunshot wound to the abdomen” after officers shot him at close range outside Milton Keynes railway station on 1 April, according to preliminary findings.

The 38-year-old, who lived in the town, was given first aid by officers but died at the scene.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating the circumstances leading up to the death and revealed its initial findings.

It said it had established that Mr Joyce was armed with a 12cm steak knife when he “ran at two officers” before being shot by an officer from a Thames Valley Police armed response unit.

The IOPC said police had been alerted to the incident following a 999 call “from a man reporting that ‘there is a man with a gun down at the train station in Milton Keynes'”.

“The call handler rang back after the caller hung up during the call and spoke to the man again who said the man with the gun was acting suspiciously, looked like he was about to do something bad and ‘definitely’ had a gun,” it said in a statement.

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“Records show that the mobile phone number used to make the 999 call had been used to call police before and was linked to Mr Joyce.

“CCTV footage shows Mr Joyce making a phone call at a time which matches with when the 999 call to police was made.”

Police at the scene of the incident. Pic: PA
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Police at the scene of the incident. Pic: PA

An inquest into his death was opened and adjourned at Milton Keynes Coroners’ Court earlier in April and a full hearing will follow after the IOPC investigation concludes.

IOPC Director Derrick Campbell said: “We again extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of David Joyce and all those affected by this incident. We continue to keep his family informed of our progress.

“Our investigators are working hard to piece together the circumstances leading up to Mr Joyce being shot by a police officer and have already carried out a significant amount of enquiries.”

He said the enquiries included accounts from the police officers involved, CCTV from inside and outside the station, footage from officers’ bodyworn cameras and police vehicle dashcam footage, and statements from members of the public who witnessed the shooting.

The IOPC added that, as is standard in investigations following a fatal police shooting, it would “look at the decisions and actions of officers prior to and during their interaction with Mr Joyce – including the medical care they provided at the scene; if the lethal force was necessary, justified and proportionate; and whether the officers followed policy”.

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