Bucharest, Romania:
Controversial influencer Andrew Tate and his brother were released on Friday after three months in Romania and placed under house arrest while being investigated on suspicion of human trafficking and rape.
Tate, a British-American former kickboxer with millions of online followers, along with his younger brother and two Romanian women, is under investigation for allegedly “forming an organized crime group, trafficking and rape”.
Tate, 36, and his brother Tristan, 34, were arrested in late December and have since been remanded in custody, which was extended again last week.
However, an appeals court “rejected the prosecutor’s proposal to extend the pre-trial detention” and ordered the couple “placed under house arrest”, according to a court ruling seen by AFP.
Accompanied by their Romanian lawyers, the brothers – who deny all charges against them – were released from the central police detention center in Bucharest around midnight (21:00 GMT) amid chaotic scenes, an AFP journalist reported.
“Freedom at last,” a smiling Andrew Tate said to the jeers and screams of supporters as he arrived at his home. “It’s a bit emotional. I’ve been in one room since last year.”
He thanked the judges for the release and maintained that he was innocent of all charges against him.
Media thronged the entrance as young fans greeted Andrew Tate with shouts of “Top G” (for gangster), his nickname.
Tristan said the judges made “the right decision” and promised to prove he was “an innocent man.”
Their lawyer Eugean Vidineac said they were forbidden from contacting other people involved in the case and were “not allowed to leave their homes without prior permission from the judicial authorities”.
He previously insisted that the brothers were not a flight risk.
“There’s no reason for them to run because being on the run isn’t a life worth living and the Tate brothers don’t want this life. They’re just tired and want to rest,” he said.
Seized luxury cars
The two men moved to Romania several years ago and Tristan has a baby boy who was born since his arrest.
As part of the investigation, Romanian police raided several properties associated with the Tate brothers and seized many of their assets, including a collection of luxury cars.
A January court document stated that a woman from Britain was “recruited” after falling in love with Andrew Tate, who then brought her to Romania “for the purpose of sexual exploitation”.
The brothers and the two Romanians have also detained, allegedly trafficked, recruited and exploited women by forcing them to “act pornographically for the purpose of producing and distributing such material online”.
Showing off his bulging muscles, cigars and fast cars, Tate’s social media videos fascinate millions of teenage boys.
A video he posted of himself pacing in his living room after his release was viewed millions of times within hours.
His videos, which offer tips on how to be successful along with misogynistic and sometimes violent maxims, have made him one of the world’s best-known influencers.
In 2016, Tate appeared on the reality TV show “Big Brother” in Britain, but was removed after a video emerged showing him assaulting a woman.
He then turned to social media platforms to promote his divisive views, before being banned for misogynistic comments and hate speech.
Tate was allowed back on Twitter, where he has 5.5 million followers, after South African-born billionaire Elon Musk bought the company.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is being published from a syndicated feed.)