Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan detained in Romania after arrest warrant issued by UK

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

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 both appeared in court flanked by four police officers – two wearing riot gear.

The pair didn’t talk to each other, but had conversations with their respective lawyers.

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.

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.