Tate brothers arrested, facing possible extradition to the UK

Influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate were arrested by federal officials in southern Florida on Saturday, according to the United Kingdom’s Crown Prosecution Service. The UK requested their extradition, leading to a series of hearings in the United States to determine the validity of the request.

Who are the Tate brothers? The two are well-known for their loud, controversial, “hypermasculine” videos and content, but they’re also facing charges of rape, bodily harm, trafficking, and more.

What are they charged with? The charge list has grown in recent days, according to the Crown Prosecution Service. Andrew Tate was recently charged with seven counts of rape, three counts of arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation, three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and 19 additional charges for offenses relating to indecent images of a child and extreme pornography. This is in addition to the three counts of rape, four counts of actual bodily harm, two counts of human trafficking, and one count of controlling prostitution for gain that Andrew already faced.

Tristan Tate has recently been charged with one count of sexual assault, two counts of rape, and three counts of arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation. Tristan previously had charges against him for three counts of rape, six counts of actual bodily harm, and two counts of human trafficking. The brothers’ combined 21 previous charges relate to three victims, while the new 38 charges relate to a further four victims, according to the Crown Prosecution Service. The brothers are now facing 59 charges from the United Kingdom, in addition to charges from Romania for human trafficking and forming an organized criminal group to sexually exploit women.

The Crown Prosecution Service has requested the brother’s extradition from the United States. The two have been arrested and detained, awaiting further legal proceedings, said Bedfordshire Police Assistant Chief Constable Karena Thomas in a Sunday statement. Thomas added that there is no place for male violence against women and girls in the UK.

What do the Tate brothers have to say? One of the brothers' lawyers, Joe McBride, issued a statement Saturday evening denying all charges. He labeled the UK a dying empire that fears two free men with a microphone more than the actual criminals walking its streets. He said he was confident that a competent judge would allow the brothers to walk free, and added that America does not do Britain’s political dirty work.

Andrew released a video at the end of June saying that Britain did not want to fix its problems, it wanted to get rid of him for talking about the problems. He also called all of the charges completely made up lies, saying the British government hasn’t even told him the names of the victims. Tristan reposted the video on Sunday.