Controversial internet personality Andrew Tate has been remanded in custody overnight in Romania as part of an ongoing investigation into new allegations against him. Tate and his brother Tristan were detained by Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) after police conducted searches at their home and three other properties in Bucharest and Ilfov county.
The brothers, who have gained massive followings on social media, were already awaiting trial on charges of rape and human trafficking. However, the latest investigation could lead to additional charges, including sex with and trafficking in underage persons, money laundering, and attempting to influence witnesses, according to prosecutors. Both Andrew and Tristan Tate have consistently denied all previous charges against them.
First detained in December 2022, the brothers were released from house arrest in August 2023. On Wednesday, after being taken into custody, they were transported to DIICOT in handcuffs under armed guard. The brothers have been remanded in custody for 24 hours while prosecutors determine whether to seek an extension of their detention, place them under house arrest, or release them.
Andrew Tate, speaking to reporters as he was being escorted to DIICOT, dismissed the new allegations as baseless, claiming that prosecutors were “desperate.”
“Wait ’til you see,” he said. “They say I have lover-boyed the mother of my children. We tricked them into having kids. Ask them this time what the evidence [is].” He described the file as being “more pathetic than the first”.
Earlier on Wednesday, the brothers were met by a small crowd of reporters and supporters as they arrived at the DIICOT building in police vans. As Andrew Tate entered the building, he greeted a local blogger who asked why he was back at DIICOT. Grinning, Tate replied that he “didn’t know”, before sarcastically shouting through the closing door that he was in his “favourite place”.
Their lawyer, Eugen Vidineac, stated that the specifics of the new allegations were unclear, as he had not yet seen the case file. He expressed doubt that the brothers would be detained further, given their already restricted movements while awaiting trial for other charges, including forming an organised crime group and human trafficking.
Two police officers, who both had their faces covered by balaclavas, were seen carrying heavy sacks into the same building – presumably with items taken during a search of the brothers’ home and other properties.
Following the raid, Andrew Tate posted on X (formerly Twitter), alleging a conspiracy against him, saying, “The Matrix is real. And they have a tried and true playbook. Slander is their number one tool and the process is the punishment. But unfortunately for them, Good always wins in the end.”
Andrew Tate, a self-described misogynist, was previously banned from several social media platforms for his controversial views. He has repeatedly claimed that Romanian authorities have no substantial evidence against him and that he is being targeted in a broader effort to silence him.
The Tate brothers, who hold dual UK-US nationality and are former kickboxers, are accused of exploiting women through an adult content business that prosecutors allege operated as a criminal group. In addition to their legal troubles in Romania, the brothers are also wanted in the UK for unrelated sexual offenses. Two female Romanian associates were named alongside the brothers in a June 2023 indictment, which identified seven alleged victims of their operations.
Melissa Enoch
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