The controversial influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have been arrested in the United States after British authorities filed 38 new charges against both.

The UK Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Andrew was being charged with seven further counts of rape, as well as charges relating to sex trafficking and possession of indecent images of a minor.

The charges against Tristan include two counts of rape and three counts of organizing or facilitating human trafficking for sexual exploitation.

Police in the counties of Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire have reported that the total number of charges against the brothers now stands at 59.

The alleged crimes are alleged to have taken place between July 2010 and August 2017. The Tates have previously denied any wrongdoing.

According to Reuters, the American media TMZ published a video in Miami on Saturday, where law enforcement officers are seen handcuffing the self-proclaimed misogynist and his younger brother, and escorting them to waiting vehicles.

After their arrest, the Prosecutor's Office will begin legal procedures to extradite the brothers, who have dual British and American nationality, to the United Kingdom, according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

“These charging decisions follow the receipt of an additional file of evidence by Bedfordshire Police and bring the total number of alleged victims in this case to seven,” said Malcolm McHaffie, head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS) Special Crimes Division.

Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Police have been investigating a series of crimes in what they called a “complex investigation”.

As a result, 38 new charges were authorized against the brothers, meaning Andrew, 39, faces a total of 42 charges in the UK and Tristan, 37, 17.

controversial character

Andrew Tate moved to Romania five years ago.

Before gaining worldwide notoriety, he fought professionally as a kickboxer and won world titles.

In 2016, he entered the British reality show “Big Brother,” but was expelled after a video circulated in which he appeared to be hitting a woman with a belt.

Tate then said the video had been edited and called it “a total lie trying to make me look bad.”

He then gained virtual notoriety and was censored by Twitter for saying women should “take responsibility” for being sexually assaulted.

Tate has been banned from other social networks such as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. TikTok also removed it, saying that “misogyny is a hateful ideology that is not tolerated.”

His posts on other websites promote misogyny, target women, and have millions of views.

Both brothers were ardent supporters of US President Donald Trump.

The US Marshals Service confirmed to the BBC that the Tates had been detained, while a spokesperson for the US Department of Justice said the arrests were made “as part of an extradition process”.

The lawyer representing the Tate family, Joseph McBride, said in a statement issued after their arrest Saturday night that “the world knows that Andrew and Tristan are innocent.”

"Their enemies know this better than anyone. That is precisely why they have been attacked," McBride continued, describing Britain's new charges as a "political attack."

As he explained, the new charges were intended to counter a defamation lawsuit filed by the brothers in the United States.

"We are confident that, once a competent judge examines the facts and the Department of Justice addresses this blatant abuse of authority, Andrew and Tristan Tate will be free. The United States does not do the political dirty work of the United Kingdom," he continued.

In 2024, Bedfordshire Police obtained European arrest warrants to extradite the couple from Romania, where they reside and are under criminal investigation.

In June, the brothers lost a lawsuit to have the names of their accusers revealed to them in the United Kingdom, after prosecutors decided it was necessary to withhold the names of their alleged victims until legal action was formally initiated.

Lawyer Matt Jury, who represents several of Andrew's alleged British victims, welcomed the indictment, stating: "Andrew and Tristan Tate are accused of some of the most serious crimes, including multiple counts of rape and human trafficking. It is time for them to be brought to justice."

*With information from Kathryn Armstrong and Claire Keenan.

This article was originally written in English and we used an artificial intelligence tool to translate it. A BBC journalist reviewed the text before publication. Learn more about how we use AI.