The controversial social media influencer, Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have been moved to house arrest after a ruling given by a Romanian judge. The brother duo has been in custody since December. The brothers were released on Friday around midnight, along with two female suspects.
Tate and the rest were arrested on allegations of human trafficking, rape, and the formation of an organized criminal group. The four have been instructed to stay in their residential buildings unless they acquire judicial permission to leave. Moreover, the brothers are forbidden from establishing contact with any of the witnesses and leaving the house without getting approval.
Tate is an online personality and is notorious for his misogynistic comments. He is a former professional kickboxer and has a following of 5.8 million on Twitter. He, along with his brother were in custody ever since their arrest in Romania in December with two Romanian women. They are being investigated on allegations of rape, human trafficking, and founding an organized criminal group. The brothers have denied any wrongdoing.
According to their lawyers, keeping the Tate brothers in preventive custody was a harsh call when they have other judicial options like house arrest available. The two women, along with the Tate brothers shall remain under house arrest till April 29. Even getting arrested has not stopped Tate from using social media and sharing his thoughts. He has shared problematic statements in the past depicting men as victims of false rape accusations and feminism. According to Tate, women belong to men, they should stay at home and get directions from them.
Andrew Tate posted a Tweet on Sunday saying that Teams like mine cannot lose. Both brothers possess dual citizenship in the US and Britain. They have denied all allegations. The Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism in Romania has reported that the authorities are still investigating. House arrest is a preventive measure. The trial has to start by June because, under Romanian law, the trial has to start six months after the criminal accusation.
The Tate brothers’ homes were thoroughly searched as the properties were speculated to be connected to rape and human trafficking. Also, the authorities are looking into the involvement of suspects in creating a criminal group in 2021 for human trafficking in Romania, Britain, and the United States. The prosecutors have stated that allegedly six victims were forced into performing sexual acts and kept in buildings outside Bucharest. In March, on two occasions, one of the suspects also used psychological pressure and violence to rape a victim.
No charges have been brought against the brothers or the two Romanian associates arrested with them.
Andrew Tate appeared in the British TV show Big Brother in 2016 and was removed from the show over a video that showed him attacking a woman. Tate has gained notorious fame online. He got banned on Twitter for saying that women should bear some responsibility for being sexually assaulted. Regardless of social media bans, Tate continues to get popular among young males.
