Bedfordshire Police secure extradition of controversial influencer Andrew Tate
The pair were detained today in Romania and will be extradited following the conclusion of legal proceedings there
Social media influencer Andrew Tate will be extradited to the UK after a British police force secured a European arrest warrant for allegations of rape and human trafficking.
Bedfordshire Police said they are working with authorities in Romania as part of an investigation into the 37-year-old and his 35-year-old brother Tristan.
The pair were detained on Tuesday and appeared at the court of appeal in Bucharest where it was ruled they would be extradited following the conclusion of legal proceedings in Romania.
The allegations, which the two brothers "unequivocally deny", date back to 2012-2015.
They were released from police custody following the hearing, their representative said.
Lawyers representing four women who accuse Tate of rape and sexual assault said they wrote to UK police to request his detention over fears he would flee Romania.
In response to the claims made by law firm McCue Jury & Partners, Tate's spokeswoman said: "We unequivocally deny any accusations that Andrew or Tristan Tate intends to abscond from Romania to evade the judicial proceedings.
"Our clients are fully committed to actively participating in the legal process and defending their reputation.
"We believe this rumour has originated from a popular online influencer who misconstrued a text message from our clients while streaming live. There is simply no truth to it."
The law firm said the four British accusers were the subject of an investigation by Hertfordshire Constabulary.
The Hertfordshire investigation was closed in 2019
In response to the court of appeal's ruling on Tuesday, the Tate brothers' lawyer Eugen Vidineac said: "We appreciate the Bucharest Court of Appeal's decision to postpone the extradition of Andrew and Tristan Tate.
"This ruling provides an opportunity for the brothers to participate fully in their defence and for the legal process to proceed in a transparent manner."
Commenting on the Tate brothers being detained, Matthew Jury, managing partner at McCue Jury & Partners, said: "Today's news is very welcome as it has been a significant concern to many that Tate would seek to avoid justice in Romania and abroad.
"We are grateful to the British authorities for taking our concerns seriously and issuing an arrest warrant."
Mr Jury said Andrew Tate had "spread a vast amount of disinformation about the criminal allegations he faces in the UK" since his first arrest in Romania.
The law firm said it welcomed the court of appeal's decision on Tuesday.
In a separate case, the Tate brothers are charged with rape, human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women in Romania after being arrested in the country's capital in December 2022 alongside two Romanian women.
All four deny the allegations.