Andrew Tate – news: Arrested influencer shares cryptic tweets about ‘hunting cockroaches’ in prison

Andrew Tate is continuing to reach millions of followers online with his cryptic tweets- despite his arrest and court case- the latest saying he is “surrounded by cockroaches” and “hunts in the dark”.

In a tweet posted on Thursday evening, the former kickboxer wrote: “Pitch black surrounded by cockroaches. Unable to sleep, I hunt in the dark. I await daybreak to count my kills.”

The controversial influencer was detained in Bucharest, Romania on 29 December and has recently lost an appeal against a judge’s earlier decision to extend his arrest from 24 hours to 30 days.

Prosecutors can now seek to extend the detention period for the 36-year-old former kickboxer and controversial influencer to 180 days.

The rejection was followed by fresh raids by Romanian authorities, as DIICOT, the prosecutors overseeing the case announced that seven homes were searched on Thursday morning in Bucharest, Ilfov counties and Prahova.

The 36-year-old gained notoriety over the years by promoting an ultra-masculine, ultra-luxurious lifestyle online.

Key Points

• Andrew Tate makes cryptic tweet about ‘hunting in the dark’ while in jail

• Romanian police announce fresh raids as seven homes searched

• Andrew Tate’s Twitter continues to reach millions of followers despite arrest

• Tate brothers lose appeal against arrest

• Lawyer told media on Monday there is ‘no evidence’ for claims against Tate brothers

Andrew Tate makes cryptic tweet about ‘hunting in the dark’ while in jail

09:13 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Who is Tristan Tate? All we know about Andrew Tate’s brother arrested in human trafficking raid

09:02 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

When influencer Andrew Tate was arrested in Romania during a police raid, he was detained alongside three other people - one of them, his brother.

Tristan Tate, who is also a former kickboxer turned social media influencer, was detained in December as part of an investigation into human trafficking and rape by Romania’s anti-organised crime agency Didcot.

The four suspects, including the Tate brothers, will be held for 30 days after a judge extended their initial detention period of 24 hours, said Didcot spokesperson Ramona Bolla. Prosecutors say they found six women who had been sexually exploited by the suspects.

Thomas Kingsley has more

All we know about Tristan Tate after arrest with brother Andrew in trafficking raid

Romania searches 7 homes in case of influencer Andrew Tate

08:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Romania’s anti-organized crime agency has carried out additional house searches in its investigation into divisive social media influencer Andrew Tate, an official said Thursday.

Ramona Bolla, spokesperson for the agency, DIICOT, said searches are taking place in the counties of Bucharest, Ilfov, and Prahova “in order to obtain further evidence.”

Thursday’s searches come a day after Tate lost a second appeal this week at a Bucharest court, where he challenged the seizure of assets by prosecutors in the late December raids, including properties, land, and a fleet of luxury cars.

More than 10 properties and land owned by companies registered to the Tate brothers have also been seized so far.

Romania searches 7 homes in case of influencer Andrew Tate

How Andrew Tate became the poster boy of the hard-right | Comment

07:00 , Liam James

Katherine Denkinson’s take on the influencer’s rise to infamy: Andrew Tate should have been anathema to the folks who spend half their time telling us they’re not far right. But, instead, he became a well-dressed, wealthy caricature of a successful “alpha male”, conducting high-profile TV interviews with people like Piers Morgan.

Julia Hartley-Brewer, who tweeted that she would choose Tate’s lifestyle over that of “doom-mongering eco-cultist” Greta Thunberg, later claimed she didn’t really know who Tate was, branding him “an irrelevance”. She has since decided that Tate is, in fact, a “nasty misogynist”.

Interestingly, earlier this week, Hartley-Brewer also appeared on TalkTV discussing the actions of rioters in Brazil and at the Capitol insurrection, claiming that “what happened with… Trump and Bolsonaro started on the left”.

The concept of the left being responsible for the Capitol insurrection has been around since 2021, when Republicans were pushing it to deflect from their own actions on 6 January. It has been disproven many times, yet remains strong within the QAnon conspiracy circuit who see the left and Antifa as working for the powers that be – while they represent the disenfranchised “alt-right”, a group which could feasibly claim Tate as one of their own. The Capitol claim is one of the more egregious examples of conspiracy theories making their way into mainstream news, but not the only one.

Opinion: How Andrew Tate became the poster boy of the hard-right

Andrew Tate sends peculiar ‘cockroach’ tweet

06:00 , Liam James

Andrew Tate’s Twitter account referred to being “surrounded by cockroaches” in a post published on Thursday evening.

The jailed influencer’s account has continued to post since his arrest, with many tweets being written in the first person and referring to Mr Tate’s circumstances.

Romanian police announce more raids as seven homes searched

05:00 , Liam James

Romanian authorities have announced fresh raids in the investigation against Andrew Tate as seven homes are searched (Thomas Kingsley writes).

DIICOT, the prosecutors overseeing the case announced that seven homes were searched on Thursday morning in Bucharest, Ilfov counties and Prahova.

In a statement on Thursday morning, DIICOT said: “This morning, the prosecutors of DIICOT – Central Structure, in the continuation of the investigations in the case regarding the commission of the crimes of constituting an organized criminal group, human trafficking and rape, implement seven home search warrants, within the radius of Bucharest municipality and Ilfov counties and Prahova.”

Romanian police announce fresh raids in Andrew Tate probe as seven homes searched

Andrew Tate: A timeline of his rise and fall

04:00 , Liam James

Andrew Tate, the controversial former kickboxing world champion turned social media influencer, has lost his court appeal against his detention in Romania over rape and human trafficking charges (Joe Sommerlad writes).

Eugen Vidineac, a lawyer representing the 36-year-old and his brother Tristan, who has also been detained, has insisted that “there is not a single piece of evidence apart from the victim’s statement” to back up the allegations.

Mr Tate has amassed millions of followers across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok over the past decade. But he has also seen his accounts banned over inflammatory statements he has made, often appearing to advocate violence against women, which the platforms ruled violated their policies.

Frequently accused of embodying toxic masculinity and misogyny, having claimed that women cannot drive, belong in the home and are a man’s property, Mr Tate has made inconsistent statements on the subject. He told the Anything Goes with James English podcast in June 2021 that he was “absolutely sexist” and “absolutely a misogynist”, only to then claim on Piers Morgan Uncensored more recently that he was “absolutely not”.

The rise and fall of Andrew Tate: A timeline

Watch: Stop boys being brainwashed by Andrew Tate, UK’s Sunak told – catch-up

03:00 , Liam James

British prime minister Rishi Sunak was urged to help schools stop boys being “brainwashed” by Andrew Tate.

Mr Tate, a British-American former professional kickboxer-turned influencer, has amassed millions of followers across social media platforms.

Labour MP Alex Davies-Jones said at a sitting of Britain’s parliament on Wednesday: “Teachers are now having to develop their own resources to re-educate boys who are being brainwashed online by [Mr Tate’s] deeply toxic messaging. The prime minister has been too slow to recognise the damage this is causing.”

She asked what Mr Sunak was doing to tackle the “radicalisation” of young men in Britain.

Investigation sees searches in Bucharest, Ilfov and Prahova counties

01:58 , Andy Gregory

More than 10 properties and land owned by companies registered to the Tate brothers have so far been seized by Romanian investigators, along with land and a fleet of luxury cars.

Ramona Bolla, spokesperson for Romania’s anti-organised crime agency, DIICOT, said yesterday that searches were taking place in the counties of Bucharest, Ilfov, and Prahova “in order to obtain further evidence.”

Bristol school teacher expresses concern over students accessing Andrew Tate content

00:50 , Andy Gregory

Matthew Simpson, a 28-year-old teacher working at a secondary school in Bristol, says students are being exposed to Andrew Tate’s content in “out of context” memes online, my colleague Matt Mathers reports.

“The most popular one currently is about the colour of Andrew Tate’s Bugatti [it is brown],” Mr Simpson told The Independent. “Students don’t understand the full picture of his views and prejudices and will happily quote him.

“But then when challenged they will be entirely ignorant of the fact that the man with the brown Bugatti espouses vile misogyny daily to his millions of followers. The concern is that these bite-size chunks of content could also act as a gateway drug, into his longer more damaging content.”

African-Caribbean newspaper apologises over Andrew Tate coverage

Thursday 12 January 2023 23:43 , Andy Gregory

The Voice newspaper has issued an apology following immense backlash for a comment piece they published about Andrew Tate, reports our race correspondent Nadine White.

The newspaper said: “We value our readership and recognise many are offended by a blog that failed to criticise Andrew Tate over his vile misogyny or mention the current people-trafficking charges. We are sorry for the upset caused and have deleted the blog.”

Andrew Tate says he is ‘surrounded by cockroaches'

Thursday 12 January 2023 22:31 , Andy Gregory

Andrew Tate has tweeted a cryptic message apparently relating to his detention in Romania.

“Pitch black surrounded by cockroaches. Unable to sleep, I hunt in the dark. I await daybreak to count my kills,” he wrote.

School holds Andrew Tate assemblies over fears of ‘toxic misogynist’s influence on children’

Thursday 12 January 2023 21:20 , Andy Gregory

Social media posts by Andrew Tate could serve as a “gateway drug” to children who go on to view more damaging content, teachers have warned.

At one school the head of performing arts Matt Adams decided to hold “Andrew Tate assemblies” due to fears over what pupils interested in the influencer are exposed to online.

My colleague Matt Mathers reports:

School holds Andrew Tate assemblies over fears of ‘toxic misogynist’s influence’

Andrew Tate responds to Logan Paul ‘Matrix’ tweet

Thursday 12 January 2023 20:07 , Andy Gregory

Andrew Tate has claimed that Logan Paul will “pay the price” for being “an agent” of what he calls “the Matrix”, after the YouTuber appeared to tweet in support of him.

Romanian police announce fresh raids as seven homes searched

Thursday 12 January 2023 19:11 , Andy Gregory

Romanian authorities have announced fresh raids in the investigation into Andrew Tate, as police searched seven homes.

My colleague Thomas Kingsley has the full report:

Romanian police announce fresh raids in Andrew Tate probe as seven homes searched

Voices | How Andrew Tate became the poster boy of the hard-right

Thursday 12 January 2023 18:13 , Andy Gregory

“The fact that social media algorithms allowed Tate to become a ‘star’ is frustrating,” writes journalist Katherine Denkinson for Independent Voices. She argues:

It is easy to think “who believes this nonsense”, but their influence on disenfranchised right wingers is undeniable – and may explain why people like him become held up as a poster boy for the alt-right; as an “anti-hero”.

Conspiracy groups with thousands of members have now been so thoroughly infiltrated by the far right that they believe refugees living in hotels are a “secret UN Army” sent to enforce permanent lockdown. Last summer those same groups protested Drag Queen Story Hour, convinced that the LGBT+ community were “normalising paedophilia”.

If we intend to continue functioning as a society, it is our duty to counter hate with the truth. The future of journalism – and much more – depends on it.

You can read her thinking in full here:

Opinion: How Andrew Tate became the poster boy of the hard-right

Who is Andrew Tate? All you need to know about the influencer arrested in Romania

Thursday 12 January 2023 17:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Emory Andrew Tate is a social media influencer and former kickboxer.

Tate was born in the US but came to live in Britain when he was four years old.

He is also the founder of Hustler’s University, an online “academy” where members pay a monthly membership fee in exchange for advice on how to make a passive income from several online industries.

Prior to being banned, Tate had a huge Instagram following of 4.6 million.

His popularity soared after videos of him began circulating on TikTok. At the time of writing, the hashtag #AndrewTate has accumulated 12.7 billion views.

Who is Andrew Tate? All you need to know about the influencer arrested in Romania

‘The Matrix got me’: How Andrew Tate, Logan Paul and other toxic men found a new way to avoid blame

Thursday 12 January 2023 16:21 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Extremely Online men and their toxic fellow travellers have discovered a novel way of avoiding the consequences of their own actions, turning to one of the biggest sci-fi movies of the 1990s for inspiration.

Logan Paul this week joined the inauspicious company of Andrew Tate and Elon Musk in blaming “The Matrix” for his own personal misfortunes.

Paul, a professional wrestler, podcaster, sports drink entrepreneur and one of the most popular YouTubers in the US, tweeted on Tuesday: “the matrix is real. pray you never become its target”.

It is not clear what prompted Paul’s tweet, but the 27-year-old has been on the back foot for weeks as he faces criticism over accusations of scamming investors and abandoning his pet pig.

Read on here:

How Andrew Tate, Logan Paul and other toxic men found a new way to avoid blame

Andrew Tate’s Twitter continues to reach millions of followers despite arrest

Thursday 12 January 2023 15:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

In case you missed it...

Misogynist internet personality Andrew Tate has been held by police in Romania since 29 December but his Twitter account has continued to post the former kickboxer’s particular brand of conspiracy-laden content to his 4.5 million followers.

Several tweets have referenced the controversial influencer’s arrest alongside his brother on charges of human trafficking, rape and organised crime, with cryptic references to a so-called “Matrix” that is claimed to be working against him.

Other tweets follow the pattern established after Mr Tate’s once-banned account returned last year, with a mix of religious citations, challenges to the masculinity of his fans, warnings against alleged powers that be and promotions for his other content.

Liam James reports:

Andrew Tate’s Twitter continues to reach millions of followers despite arrest

I’m a teacher – this is what my 15-year-olds are saying about Andrew Tate

Thursday 12 January 2023 14:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

“In our termly equalities meeting at the secondary school where I teach, we usually discuss the broad concerns we’re trying to tackle as a staff body. This week, it was different. Rather than talking about systemic issues and how they affect our students, such as racism, homophobia and ableism, we ended up talking about one man. That man was Andrew Tate.

“After discussing the controversial influencer who appeared in court this week, we decided that – due to his continued reach on social media – it would be best to hold assemblies across all the school years to make sure they are being smart about the content they are consuming online.”

Matt Adams has more:

Opinions: I’m a teacher – this is what my students are saying about Andrew Tate

ICYMI: Watch Andrew Tate leaves Bucharest court in handcuffs amid human trafficking allegations

Thursday 12 January 2023 13:00 , Thomas Kingsley

Watch: Labour MP says Andrew Tate’s influence on young boys provokes ‘incel culture’

Thursday 12 January 2023 11:00 , Thomas Kingsley

Voices | What is The Matrix? How Extremely Online men found a new way to describe accountability

Thursday 12 January 2023 10:00 , Thomas Kingsley

Extremely Online men and their toxic fellow travellers have discovered a novel way of avoiding the consequences of their own actions, turning to one of the biggest sci-fi movies of the 1990s for inspiration.

Logan Paul this week joined the inauspicious company of Andrew Tate and Elon Musk in blaming “The Matrix” for his own personal misfortunes, Richard Hall writes.

Paul, a professional wrestler, podcaster, sports drink entrepreneur and one of the most popular YouTubers in the US, tweeted on Tuesday: “the matrix is real. pray you never become its target”.

Read the full story here

BREAKER: Andrew Tate: Romanian police announce fresh raids as seven homes searched

Thursday 12 January 2023 09:15 , Thomas Kingsley

Romanian authorities have announced fresh raids in the investigation against Andrew Tate as seven homes are searched.

DIICOT, the prosecutors overseeing the case announced that seven homes were searched on Thursday morning in Bucharest, Ilfov counties and Prahova.

It comes after Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan this week lost their appeal against a judge’s decision to extend his arrest period from 24 hours to 30 days on charges of being part of an organised crime group, human trafficking and rape.

Read the developing story below:

Andrew Tate: Romanian police announce fresh raids as seven homes searched

Voices | I’m a teacher – this is what my 15-year-olds are saying about Andrew Tate

Thursday 12 January 2023 09:00 , Thomas Kingsley

In our termly equalities meeting at the secondary school where I teach, we usually discuss the broad concerns we’re trying to tackle as a staff body, writes Matt Adams. This week, it was different. Rather than talking about systemic issues and how they affect our students, such as racism, homophobia and ableism, we ended up talking about one man. That man was Andrew Tate.

After discussing the controversial influencer who appeared in court this week, we decided that – due to his continued reach on social media – it would be best to hold assemblies across all the school years to make sure they are being smart about the content they are consuming online.

Read the full story below:

Opinions: I’m a teacher – this is what my students are saying about Andrew Tate

Andrew Tate’s court appearance in pictures

Thursday 12 January 2023 08:07 , Thomas Kingsley

Andrew Tate loses appeal against asset seizures in Romania

Thursday 12 January 2023 07:00 , Liam James

A court in Romania’s capital Bucharest has rejected an appeal by the divisive social media personality Andrew Tate against asset seizures by prosecutors who are investigating him on charges of being part of an organised crime group and human trafficking, an official said.

Ramona Bolla, a spokesperson for Romanian anti-organised crime agency DIICOT, said that in a hearing on Wednesday at the Bucharest Tribunal, Tate lost an appeal that challenged asset seizures by prosecutors, including properties and a fleet of luxury cars.

The court “decided that the seizures are legal and (that) the goods remain at our disposal”, she told The Associated Press.

Prosecutors investigating the case have so far seized 15 luxury cars - 11 in December raids and four last week - at least seven of which are owned by the Tate brothers, as well as more than 10 properties and land owned by companies registered to them.

Ms Bolla said is not clear whether any assets seized since December were included in Wednesday’s appeal.

Andrew Tate’s Twitter continues to reach millions of followers despite arrest

Thursday 12 January 2023 06:00 , Liam James

Misogynist internet personality Andrew Tate has been held by police in Romania since 29 December but his Twitter account has continued to post the former kickboxer’s particular brand of conspiracy-laden content to his 4.5 million followers.

Several tweets have referenced the controversial influencer’s arrest alongside his brother on charges of human trafficking, rape and organised crime, with cryptic references to a so-called “Matrix” that is claimed to be working against him.

Other tweets follow the pattern established after Mr Tate’s once-banned account returned last year, with a mix of religious citations, challenges to the masculinity of his fans, warnings against alleged powers that be and promotions for his other content.

The account continued to be active even as Mr Tate and his brother sat in a court appeal hearing on Tuesday, resharing posts with messages of support for the pair.

Andrew Tate’s Twitter continues to reach millions of followers despite arrest

This is what Andrew Tate means for Muslim women like me | Comment

Thursday 12 January 2023 05:00 , Liam James

Hafsa Lodi’s take on Andrew Tate’s adoption of Islam: Is it him? That shiny bald head, manicured beard, and gradient “I’m a celebrity” sunglasses are unmistakeable. A four-minute clip of Andrew Tate, a controversial figure who is known for making vulgar and inflammatory statements about women, has infiltrated the intimate boundaries of my smartphone through a forwarded WhatsApp video. Prior to this, I’ve actively avoided researching or discussing Tate, despite his notoriety on social media – I’d hate to give any more airtime to the self-proclaimed misogynist who is already one of the most frequently googled people on the internet.

But this time I give in, and a quick search leads me to the original video, posted on YouTube a year ago by a “male self-improvement” podcast that hosts “Womanizer Wednesdays”. In the three-hour interview, Tate spews some twisted and simplistic statements about Islam in his apparent attempt to praise the religion.

Opinion: This is what Andrew Tate means for Muslim women like me

Andrew Tate’s lawyer says ‘no evidence’ to support trafficking or rape allegations

Thursday 12 January 2023 04:00 , Liam James

The lawyer representing social media personality Andrew Tate has claimed there is “no evidence” to support allegations of human trafficking, rape or organised crime against him.

Josh Payne reports:

Andrew Tate’s lawyer says ‘no evidence’ to support trafficking or rape allegations

Catch-up: Andrew Tate loses appeal against detention in human trafficking and rape case

Thursday 12 January 2023 02:00 , Liam James

Online misogynist Andrew Tate lost his appeal on Tuesday against a judge’s earlier decision to extend his arrest period from 24 hours to 30 days on charges of being part of an organised crime group, human trafficking and rape.

The 36-year-old social media influencer was initially detained on 29 December in an area of north of the capital Bucharest along with his brother Tristan, who is charged in the same case. Two Romanian suspects are also in custody.

All four of them challenged the arrest extension that was granted to prosecutors on 30 December.

Following the court’s rejection of their appeal, the defendants could now be held for up to 180 days under Romanian law.

We need to ‘deplatform’ Andrew Tate | Comment

Thursday 12 January 2023 01:00 , Liam James

Sufyan Ahmed argues that Andrew Tate should be wiped from social media: Teachers across the country have raised the alarm on how Tate has effectively radicalised a generation of young men and has fuelled misogyny in the classroom.

They have noticed an increase in sexist incidents with many students referencing Tate’s ideas and parroting his catchphrases.

Moreover, male students are becoming hostile when issues such as gender equality are discussed in the classroom.

Tate appears to have successfully tapped into feelings of loneliness and anger amongst young men who have been missold the lie that that they are somehow “losing power” due to changing gender relations.

They turn to Tate and see him as a male role model due to his material success. Without solutions to protect vulnerable impressionable men of my generation, my fear is that Tate will continue to have a lasting negative influence.

So, what do we do? Well, deplatforming is a controversial tool to counter the spread of these ideas, but evidence shows it works.

After many social media platforms pulled the plug on Tate’s accounts, Google searches for his name fell by around 60 per cent. Subsequentially, other creators feared including him in their content in case their accounts would suffer the same fate. However, this isn’t the silver bullet.

Social media platforms must do more, especially with algorithms.

Users on TikTok have been bombarded with content regarding Tate if they simply just watch a video about men’s health, as the platform tailors what it pushes to young men. And we already know Tate has substantial links with far right organisations.

Here’s how to beat toxic men like Andrew Tate

Thursday 12 January 2023 00:00 , Liam James

News of Andrew Tate’s arrest has been met with relief by many hoping this will bring an end to his relevance. However, in my view (and experience) the damage is done. Tate’s views, amplified by social media, has already led to huge numbers of young men from my generation being manipulated, and without urgent intervention we may end up with a lost generation of young men. Let me tell you what I’ve seen.

There is no denying the immense reach Tate achieved. He was the most Googled man over the summer of 2022. Videos with his hashtag have amassed 13 billion views on TikTok. His mentoring scheme currently has 160,000 paying subscribers.

Once you delve into what Tate preaches to the masses, his social media reach is terrifying. Tate has made comments such as, “women bear some responsibility for rape”; has compared women to dogs and proudly confessed in one video with a fellow YouTuber to being an “absolute misogynist”, stating that he was in fact a “realist” and “when you’re a realist, you’re sexist”. The amplification of these views should terrify everyone.

Here’s how to beat toxic men like Andrew Tate

What is The Matrix? How Extremely Online men found a new way to describe accountability

Wednesday 11 January 2023 23:00 , Liam James

Extremely Online men and their toxic fellow travellers have discovered a novel way of avoiding the consequences of their own actions, turning to one of the biggest sci-fi movies of the 1990s for inspiration (Richard Hall writes).

Logan Paul this week joined the inauspicious company of Andrew Tate and Elon Musk in blaming “The Matrix” for his own personal misfortunes.

Using The Matrix as a byword for consequences was popularised by Andrew Tate, the misogynist provocateur who was recently arrested in Romania on human trafficking and rape charges.

The 36-year-old earned a captive online audience of young impressionable men with promises to help them “escape the Matrix” if they paid a monthly fee to join his Hustler’s University online academy, which teaches lessons on crypto investing and drop shipping and has been described as a pyramid scheme.

‘The Matrix is real’: Men like Andrew Tate find a new way to dodge accountability

Andrew Tate loses appeal against asset seizures

Wednesday 11 January 2023 22:00 , Liam James

A court in Romania’s capital Bucharest has rejected an appeal by the divisive social media personality Andrew Tate against asset seizures by prosecutors who are investigating him on charges of being part of an organized crime group and human trafficking, an official said Wednesday.

In a hearing on Wednesday at the Bucharest Tribunal, Mr Tate lost an appeal that challenged assets seized by prosecutors, including properties and a fleet of luxury cars, said Ramona Bolla, a spokesperson for Romanian anti-organised crime agency DIICOT.

The court “decided that the seizures are legal and [that] the goods remain at our disposal,” she told The Associated Press.

Prosecutors investigating the case have so far seized 15 luxury cars – 11 in December raids and four last week – at least seven of which are owned by the Tate brothers, and more than 10 properties and land owned by companies registered to them. Bolla said is not clear whether any assets seized since December were included in Wednesday’s appeal.

Andrew Tate: A timeline of his rise and fall

Wednesday 11 January 2023 21:00 , Liam James

Andrew Tate, the controversial former kickboxing world champion turned social media influencer, has lost his court appeal against his detention in Romania over rape and human trafficking charges.

Eugen Vidineac, a lawyer representing the 36-year-old and his brother Tristan, who has also been detained, has insisted that “there is not a single piece of evidence apart from the victim’s statement” to back up the allegations.

Mr Tate has amassed millions of followers across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok over the past decade.

But he has also seen his accounts banned over inflammatory statements he has made, often appearing to advocate violence against women, which the platforms ruled violated their policies.

Joe Sommerlad charts his journey here:

The rise and fall of Andrew Tate: A timeline

School holds Andrew Tate assemblies over fears of ‘toxic misogynist’s influence on children’

Wednesday 11 January 2023 20:00 , Liam James

Social media posts by Andrew Tate could serve as a “gateway drug” to children who go on to view more damaging content, teachers have warned (Matt Mathers writes).

One school has even decided to hold “Andrew Tate assemblies” due to fears over what pupils interested in the influencer are exposed to online.

The presentation on Tate was given last term in a school in south London to a group of 14-year-olds after teachers noticed that pupils were repeating his sexist sentiments. About a third of the 30 students in the class argued that women were responsible for their own sexual assaults.

Matt Adams, head of performing arts at a west London school, told The Independent boys he had spoken to would either support Tate outright, make excuses for him or claim he had been misquoted.

School holds Andrew Tate assemblies over fears of ‘toxic misogynist’s influence’

Putin authorises military shake-up in Ukraine

Wednesday 11 January 2023 19:47 , Liam James

Vladimir Putin has authorised another shake-up in the military leadership leading the invasion of Ukraine – while Kyiv mocked claims that it had lost the town of Soledar which is at the centre of a furious Russian assault.

Defence minister Sergei Shoigu announced that Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff, had been appointed as overall commander of forces in Ukraine, one of a number of changes in recent months as Mr Putin seeks a success story to sell at home.

It is clear that pressure is building on the Kremlin, with the move in effect demoting General Sergei Surovikin, who had been named Russia’s top battlefield commander in Ukraine only last October after a spate of offensives by Kyiv’s troops that turned the tide of the war. General Surovikin had earned the nickname “General Armageddon” from the Russian media for his reputed ruthlessness.

A Defence Ministry statement said the reshuffle was meant to improve contacts between different military branches and the “quality and effectiveness” of the command structure.

Moscow seeks control of Soledar to strenghten its position around the nearby besieged city of Bakhmut and provide a stepping stone to other cities in the eastern Donbas region. On Wednesday evening, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has mocked claims by the Russian mercenary Wagner group that it has taken control of the town – the scene of some of the most intense fighting since Moscow’s invasion began.

Putin authorises another military shake-up for forces in Ukraine

Stop boys being brainwashed by Andrew Tate, UK’s Sunak told

Wednesday 11 January 2023 19:00 , Liam James

British prime minister Rishi Sunak has been urged to help schools stop boys being “brainwashed” by Andrew Tate.

Mr Tate, a British-American former professional kickboxer-turned influencer, has amassed millions of followers across social media platforms.

Labour MP Alex Davies-Jones said at a sitting of Britain’s parliament: “Teachers are now having to develop their own resources to re-educate boys who are being brainwashed online by [Mr Tate’s] deeply toxic messaging. The prime minister has been too slow to recognise the damage this is causing.”

She asked what Mr Sunak was doing to tackle the “radicalisation” of young men in Britain.

He replied: “With regard to funding, we announced in the autumn statement £2bn of extra funding for our schools.

“But I’m also proud that this Government has introduced the world-leading, world-first Online Safety Bill, which specifically improves protections for children and puts very strict obligations and penalties on tech companies for enforcing them.”

The bill is expected to complete its final stages in the Commons next week before heading to the House of Lords.

I’m a teacher – this is what my 15-year-olds are saying about Andrew Tate | Comment

Wednesday 11 January 2023 18:00 , Liam James

Matt Adams shares what he has learned about Andrew Tate’s reach among the youth:

... From spontaneous class discussions centred around Tate, to a cut-out picture of his head being found in a urinal for target practice in the boy’s toilets, Tate has been a huge focus point for our students for longer than I previously realised. I found that every student had an opinion, and every teacher had at least one example of his name being brought up during a lesson.

Opinions about him are strong and they are polarised. Some students feel that his words and actions are inexcusable, no matter if he sometimes says things they agree with. A considerable number of pupils told me he is a “scammer”. Many of those expressing negative views about Tate are female students and students who identify as LGBT+.

However, worryingly, some are more supportive of Tate as a person, varying in their agreement with things that he has said and done.

Opinions: I’m a teacher – this is what my students are saying about Andrew Tate

Greta Thunberg’s response to Andrew Tate was a masterclass in dignity

Wednesday 11 January 2023 17:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

In case you missed it...

“Did more than 100 million of us witness the most perfect comeback of all time when Greta Thunberg took down Andrew Tate on Twitter? It’s pretty much a unanimous ‘yes’. But was it the right thing to do? The answer to that is less obvious. Let me explain why,” Rhea Freeman writes.

“I’m guessing you’ve been there: someone says something to you that isn’t all that pleasant or is just utter rubbish, and you don’t say anything.

“You can’t find the words. Under a layer of shock, annoyance and everything else, they’re just not there. Until they are. If you’re anything like me, this will be about two hours later when the moment has well and truly passed. Can you relate?”

Opinion: Greta Thunberg’s response to Andrew Tate was a masterclass in dignity

Opinion: We need to ‘deplatform’ Andrew Tate

Wednesday 11 January 2023 16:19 , Sufyan Ahmed

Teachers across the country have raised the alarm on how Tate has effectively radicalised a generation of young men and has fuelled misogyny in the classroom.

They have noticed an increase in sexist incidents with many students referencing Tate’s ideas and parroting his catchphrases, Sufyan Ahmed writes.

Moreover, male students are becoming hostile when issues such as gender equality are discussed in the classroom.

Tate appears to have successfully tapped into feelings of loneliness and anger amongst young men who have been missold the lie that that they are somehow “losing power” due to changing gender relations.

They turn to Tate and see him as a male role model due to his material success. Without solutions to protect vulnerable impressionable men of my generation, my fear is that Tate will continue to have a lasting negative influence.

So, what do we do? Well, deplatforming is a controversial tool to counter the spread of these ideas, but evidence shows it works.

After many social media platforms pulled the plug on Tate’s accounts, Google searches for his name fell by around 60 per cent. Subsequentially, other creators feared including him in their content in case their accounts would suffer the same fate. However, this isn’t the silver bullet.

Social media platforms must do more, especially with algorithms.

Users on TikTok have been bombarded with content regarding Tate if they simply just watch a video about men’s health, as the platform tailors what it pushes to young men. And we already know Tate has substantial links with far right organisations.

Opinion: Here’s how to beat toxic men like Andrew Tate

Wednesday 11 January 2023 15:08 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

“News of Andrew Tate’s arrest has been met with relief by many hoping this will bring an end to his relevance.

However, in my view (and experience) the damage is done,” Sufyan Ahmed writes.

“Tate’s views, amplified by social media, has already led to huge numbers of young men from my generation being manipulated, and without urgent intervention we may end up with a lost generation of young men. Let me tell you what I’ve seen.

“There is no denying the immense reach Tate achieved. He was the most Googled man over the summer of 2022. Videos with his hashtag have amassed 13 billion views on TikTok. His mentoring scheme currently has 160,000 paying subscribers.”

Here’s how to beat toxic men like Andrew Tate

Labour MP says Andrew Tate's influence on young boys provokes 'incel culture'

Wednesday 11 January 2023 14:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Labour MP Alex Davies-Jones said Andrew Tate’s influence on young boys provokes “incel culture”.

The Welsh MP for Pontypridd and shadow minister for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport raised the point of order during a session of PMQs.

Ms Jones said: “Boys are being brainwashed online by his deeply toxic messaging. The prime minister has been too slow to recognise the damage this is causing.”

Andrew Tate loses appeal against asset seizures in Romania

Wednesday 11 January 2023 13:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A court in Romania’s capital Bucharest has rejected an appeal by the divisive social media personality Andrew Tate against asset seizures by prosecutors who are investigating him on charges of being part of an organised crime group and human trafficking, an official said.

Tate, 36, a British-US citizen who has 4.5 million followers on Twitter, was detained on December 29 in Bucharest along with his brother Tristan and two Romanian women.

On Tuesday, a court upheld a judge’s December 30 ruling to extend their detention from 24 hours to 30 days.

Ramona Bolla, a spokesperson for Romanian anti-organised crime agency DIICOT, said that in a separate hearing on Wednesday at the Bucharest Tribunal, Tate lost an appeal that challenged asset seizures by prosecutors, including properties and a fleet of luxury cars.

The court “decided that the seizures are legal and (that) the goods remain at our disposal”, she told The Associated Press.

Prosecutors investigating the case have so far seized 15 luxury cars - 11 in December raids and four last week - at least seven of which are owned by the Tate brothers, as well as more than 10 properties and land owned by companies registered to them.

Ms Bolla said is not clear whether any assets seized since December were included in Wednesday’s appeal.

If prosecutors can prove the Tates gained money through human trafficking, Ms Bolla said that the assets could be used to cover the expenses of the investigation and compensation for victims.

Before the court ruling on Wednesday, Constantin Gliga, one of the lawyers representing Tate, told the media that the asset seizures are disproportional to the charges.

DIICOT claims it has identified six victims in the human trafficking case who were subjected to “acts of physical violence and mental coercion” and were sexually exploited by the members of the alleged crime group.

The agency said victims were lured by pretences of love, and later intimidated, kept under surveillance and subjected to other control tactics while being coerced into performing in pornography that was intended to make money for their alleged persecutors.

Tate, a former professional kickboxer who has reportedly lived in Romania since 2017, was previously banned from various prominent social media platforms for expressing misogynistic views and hate speech.

Andrew Tate’s Twitter continues to reach millions of followers despite arrest

Wednesday 11 January 2023 12:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Misogynist internet personality Andrew Tate has been held by police in Romania since 29 December but his Twitter account has continued to post the former kickboxer’s particular brand of conspiracy-laden content to his 4.5 million followers.

Several tweets have referenced the controversial influencer’s arrest alongside his brother on charges of human trafficking, rape and organised crime, with cryptic references to a so-called “Matrix” that is claimed to be working against him.

Other tweets follow the pattern established after Mr Tate’s once-banned account returned last year, with a mix of religious citations, challenges to the masculinity of his fans, warnings against alleged powers that be and promotions for his other content.

Liam James has more:

Andrew Tate’s Twitter continues to reach millions of followers despite arrest

Who is Andrew Tate? All you need to know about the influencer arrested in Romania

Wednesday 11 January 2023 11:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Emory Andrew Tate is a social media influencer and former kickboxer.

Tate was born in the US but came to live in Britain when he was four years old.

He is also the founder of Hustler’s University, an online “academy” where members pay a monthly membership fee in exchange for advice on how to make a passive income from several online industries.

Prior to being banned, Tate had a huge Instagram following of 4.6 million.

His popularity soared after videos of him began circulating on TikTok. At the time of writing, the hashtag #AndrewTate has accumulated 12.7 billion views.

Who is Andrew Tate? All you need to know about the influencer arrested in Romania

Who is Tristan Tate? All we know about Andrew Tate’s brother arrested in human trafficking raid

Wednesday 11 January 2023 10:06 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

When influencer Andrew Tate was arrested in Romania during a police raid, he was detained alongside three other people - one of them, his brother.

Tristan Tate, who is also a former kickboxer turned social media influencer, was detained in December as part of an investigation into human trafficking and rape by Romania’s anti-organised crime agency Didcot.

Tristan Tate, 34, is two years younger than his older brother Andrew. He has followed in the footsteps of his sibling in more ways than one.

Thomas Kingsley has more:

All we know about Tristan Tate after arrest with brother Andrew in trafficking raid

Andrew Tate could now stay under arrest for three months

Wednesday 11 January 2023 09:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Following the court’s rejection of Andrew Tate’s appeal for his 30-day arrest extension to be overturned, the controversial influencer could now be held for up to 180 days under Romanian law.

Prosecutors can now request the further extension for Mr Tate, his brother and the two Romanian nationals arrested as part of the same investigation into organised crime, human trafficking and rape.

Andrew Tate brings Quran to court hearing on human trafficking charges

Wednesday 11 January 2023 08:00 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Andrew Tate was holding a copy of the Quran as he arrived at court in Romania today.

The social media personality attended the hearing to appeal against a judge’s decision to extend his arrest period to 30 days, on charges of being part of an organised crime group, human trafficking and rape.

Joe Middleton reports:

Andrew Tate brings Quran to court hearing on human trafficking charges

WATCH: Andrew Tate and brother Tristan appear in Romanian court

Wednesday 11 January 2023 07:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan arrived in a Romanian court on 10 January after they were detained last month as part of a human trafficking and rape investigation.

The former kickboxer arrived in Bucharest in handcuffs on Tuesday to appeal against a judge’s earlier decision to extend his arrest period from 24 hours to 30 days.

Andrew Tate and brother appear in court amid human trafficking and rape investigation

Andrew Tate posts another cryptic tweet after appeal ruling

Wednesday 11 January 2023 07:00 , Liam James

Following the rejection of his appeal, which lands him with at least three weeks more in jail, Andrew Tate’s Twitter account shared a quote which has been attributed to Abu Hurayra, one of the companions of the prophet Muhammad.

“When Allah said ‘I test only those I love.’ I took the pain like it was an honour - Abu Hurayrah,” Mr Tate wrote.

The influencer announced last year that he had converted to Islam.

This is what Andrew Tate means for Muslim women like me

Wednesday 11 January 2023 06:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta

“Tate’s discourse, replete with curse words, derogatory descriptions of women, and overall misogynistic ideology, has appealed to disenfranchised and radicalised males whose idea of manhood is linked with the subjugation of women. Unfortunately, his opinions share some overlap with interpretations that extremist factions often wrongly attribute to Islam – the sort of hyper-patriarchy that is practised by groups like the Taliban, but does not reflect the religion practised by the majority of Muslims today.”

Hafsa Lodi writes:

Opinion: This is what Andrew Tate means for Muslim women like me

Who is Andrew Tate? All you need to know about the influencer arrested in Romania

Wednesday 11 January 2023 06:00 , Liam James

Andrew Tate is no stranger to controversy (Saman Javed writes).

The former kickboxer and social media influencer, who has gained notoriety over the years for peddling misogynistic views, was detained in Romania on Thursday 29 December on suspicion of human trafficking, rape, and forming an organised crime group, prosecutors said.

The arrest came after Tate shared a video hitting back at climate activist Greta Thunberg, prominently displaying pizza boxes from local chain Jerry’s Pizza. Authorities have debunked reports that the pizza box led them to Tate’s location.

On Friday (30 December), Thunberg responded to news that their online spat had aided in Tate’s arrest.

The climate activist was not short of quippy replies, writing on Twitter: “This is what happens when you don’t recycle your pizza boxes.”

Who is Andrew Tate? All you need to know about the influencer arrested in Romania

ICYMI: Pizza box didn’t lead to Andrew Tate’s arrest in Romania, according to authorities

Wednesday 11 January 2023 05:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta

A pizza box did not tip Romanian law enforcement agencies to the whereabouts of misogynist influencer Andrew Tate before his arrest on human trafficking charges, according to officials.

Memes and a widely shared image of Mr Tate eating from a pizza box in a social media video response to climate activist Greta Thunberg drew speculation that the local pizza place gave away his location.

Alex Woodward has more:

Pizza box didn’t lead to Andrew Tate’s arrest in Romania, according to authorities

Andrew Tate could now stay under arrest for three months

Wednesday 11 January 2023 05:00 , Liam James

Following the court’s rejection of Andrew Tate’s appeal for his 30-day arrest extension to be overturned, the controversial influencer could now be held for up to 180 days under Romanian law.

Prosecutors can now request the further extension for Mr Tate, his brother and the two Romanian nationals arrested as part of the same investigation into organised crime, human trafficking and rape.

Andrew Tate’s lawyer says ‘no evidence’ to support trafficking or rape allegations

Wednesday 11 January 2023 04:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta

The lawyer representing social media personality Andrew Tate has claimed there is “no evidence” to support allegations of human trafficking, rape or organised crime against him.

Josh Payne reports:

Andrew Tate’s lawyer says ‘no evidence’ to support trafficking or rape allegations

Andrew Tate loses appeal against detention in human trafficking and rape case

Wednesday 11 January 2023 04:00 , Liam James

Online misogynist Andrew Tate has lost his appeal against a judge’s decision to extent his arrest period from 24 hours to 30 days on charges of being part of an organised crime group, human trafficking and rape.

Ramona Bolla, a spokesperson for Romanian anti-organised crime agency DIICOT, said a Bucharest appeals court late on Tuesday rejected an appeal by Mr Tate, his co-accused brother Tristan and two Romanian women arrested in the same police operation.

Prosecutors can now request detentions of up to 180 days for the four suspects.

The four have denied wrongdoing and their lawyers have claimed their is no evidence against them – though authorities said they had made the arrests based on accounts from six women.

Andrew Tate loses appeal against detention in human trafficking and rape case

ICYMI: Romanian authorities seize Andrew Tate’s car collection as investigation continues

Wednesday 11 January 2023 03:00 , Liam James

Romanian authorities have seized a collection of cars belonging to misogynistic social media influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan (Maya Oppenheim writes).

It comes days after the 36-year-old self-avowed “success coach” was arrested as part of a human trafficking investigation.

Romanian authorities seized the car collection, estimated to be worth over five million euros, as well a number of buildings including one where the brothers lived and allegedly held six young women, according to a local news report.

Romanian authorities seize Andrew Tate’s car collection as investigation continues

Here’s how to beat toxic men like Andrew Tate | Comment

Wednesday 11 January 2023 02:00 , Liam James

Sufyan Ahmed’s take on the toxic culture behind the jailed influencer: News of Andrew Tate’s arrest has been met with relief by many hoping this will bring an end to his relevance. However, in my view (and experience) the damage is done. Tate’s views, amplified by social media, has already led to huge numbers of young men from my generation being manipulated, and without urgent intervention we may end up with a lost generation of young men. Let me tell you what I’ve seen.

There is no denying the immense reach Tate achieved. He was the most Googled man over the summer of 2022. Videos with his hashtag have amassed 13 billion views on TikTok. His mentoring scheme currently has 160,000 paying subscribers.

Once you delve into what Tate preaches to the masses, his social media reach is terrifying. Tate has made comments such as, “women bear some responsibility for rape”; has compared women to dogs and proudly confessed in one video with a fellow YouTuber to being an “absolute misogynist”, stating that he was in fact a “realist” and “when you’re a realist, you’re sexist”. The amplification of these views should terrify everyone.

Here’s how to beat toxic men like Andrew Tate

Who is Tristan Tate? All we know about Andrew Tate’s brother arrested in human trafficking raid

Wednesday 11 January 2023 01:00 , Liam James

When influencer Andrew Tate was arrested in Romania during a police raid, he was detained alongside three other people - one of them, his brother (Thomas Kingsley writes).

Tristan Tate, who is also a former kickboxer turned social media influencer, was detained in December as part of an investigation into human trafficking and rape by Romania’s anti-organised crime agency Didcot.

The four suspects, including the Tate brothers, will be held for 30 days after a judge extended their initial detention period of 24 hours, said Didcot spokesperson Ramona Bolla. Prosecutors say they found six women who had been sexually exploited by the suspects.

All we know about Tristan Tate after arrest with brother Andrew in trafficking raid

This is what Andrew Tate means for Muslim women like me | Comment

Wednesday 11 January 2023 00:00 , Liam James

Hafsa Lodi’s take on Andrew Tate’s adoption of Islam: Is it him? That shiny bald head, manicured beard, and gradient “I’m a celebrity” sunglasses are unmistakeable. A four-minute clip of Andrew Tate, a controversial figure who is known for making vulgar and inflammatory statements about women, has infiltrated the intimate boundaries of my smartphone through a forwarded WhatsApp video. Prior to this, I’ve actively avoided researching or discussing Tate, despite his notoriety on social media – I’d hate to give any more airtime to the self-proclaimed misogynist who is already one of the most frequently googled people on the internet.

But this time I give in, and a quick search leads me to the original video, posted on YouTube a year ago by a “male self-improvement” podcast that hosts “Womanizer Wednesdays”. In the three-hour interview, Tate spews some twisted and simplistic statements about Islam in his apparent attempt to praise the religion.

Opinion: This is what Andrew Tate means for Muslim women like me

Andrew Tate’s cars pictured at Bucharest home

Tuesday 10 January 2023 23:00 , Liam James

Cars from Andrew Tate's cars collection, which were was seized by Romanian authorities, are seen at his home in Bucharest.

Authorities seized 15 cars, at least seven of which are owned by the Tate brothers – and more than 10 properties or land owned by companies registered to them – in connection with the investigation.

Andrew Tate posts cryptic Allah reference after appeal ruling

Tuesday 10 January 2023 22:00 , Liam James

Following the rejection of his appeal, which lands him with at least three weeks more in jail, Andrew Tate’s Twitter account shared a quote which has been attributed to Abu Hurayra, one of the companions of the prophet Muhammad.

“When Allah said ‘I test only those I love.’ I took the pain like it was an honour - Abu Hurayrah,” Mr Tate wrote.

The influencer announced last year that he had converted to Islam.

Andrew Tate could now stay under arrest for three months

Tuesday 10 January 2023 20:19 , Liam James

Following the court’s rejection of Andrew Tate’s appeal for his 30-day arrest extension to be overturned, the controversial influencer could now be held for up to 180 days under Romanian law.

Prosecutors can now request the further extension for Mr Tate, his brother and the two Romanian nationals arrested as part of the same investigation into organised crime, human trafficking and rape.

Andrew Tate loses appeal against detention in human trafficking and rape case

Tuesday 10 January 2023 20:08 , Liam James

Online misogynist Andrew Tate has lost his appeal against a judge’s earlier decision to extend his arrest period from 24 hours to 30 days on charges of being part of an organised crime group, human trafficking and rape.

The 36-year-old social media influencer was initially detained on 29 December in an area of north of the capital Bucharest along with his brother Tristan, who is charged in the same case. Two Romanian suspects are also in custody.

All four of them challenged the arrest extension that was granted to prosecutors on 30 December.

Andrew Tate loses appeal against detention in human trafficking and rape case

Andrew Tate brings Quran to court hearing on human trafficking charges

Tuesday 10 January 2023 19:30 , Liam James

Andrew Tate was holding a copy of the Quran as he arrived at court in Romania today (Joe Middleton writes).

The social media personality attended the hearing to appeal against a judge’s decision to extend his arrest period to 30 days, on charges of being part of an organised crime group, human trafficking and rape.

The 36-year-old could be seen clutching the religious text while handcuffed to his brother Tristan as they walked into the courthouse in Bucharest this morning.

Andrew Tate brings Quran to court hearing on human trafficking charges

Tate tracked for years over far-right links

Tuesday 10 January 2023 18:37 , Liam James

Hope not Hate, a British advocacy group, said it monitored Andrew Tate for years “because of his close links to the far right.”

It described the influencer in a report it produced last year as an “extreme misogynist” who holds conspiratorial views.

“Our major concern is that his brand of extreme and sometimes violent misogyny is reaching a young male audience and that he could serve as a gateway to wider far-right politics,” Hope not Hate said in a statement after Mr Tate was banned by Facebook parent company Meta in August.

Hope not Hate compiled a dossier of information on Mr Tate’s far-right links including Tommy Robinson and Paul Joseph Watson.

Andrew Tate’s lawyer speaks after appeal hearing

Tuesday 10 January 2023 17:30 , Liam James

Eugen Vidineac, a Romanian defence lawyer representing Andrew and Tristan Tate, said after this morning’s hearing that his pleas “were listened to entirely”.

The lawyer added that the two brothers and their two Romanian co-accused all made statements to the court where they were appealing against a judge’s decision to extend their detention from 24 hours to 30 days.

“The court has to decide. We hope for a positive solution for our clients,” Mr Vidineac said.

Andrew Tate brings Quran to court hearing on human trafficking charges

Tuesday 10 January 2023 17:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Andrew Tate was holding a copy of the Quran as he arrived at court in Romania today.

The social media personality attended the hearing to appeal against a judge’s decision to extend his arrest period to 30 days, on charges of being part of an organised crime group, human trafficking and rape.

The 36-year-old could be seen clutching the religious text while handcuffed to his brother Tristan as they walked into the courthouse in Bucharest this morning.

Joe Middleton has more:

Andrew Tate brings Quran to court hearing on human trafficking charges

This is what Andrew Tate means for Muslim women like me

Tuesday 10 January 2023 16:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

“I can only hope that his arrest will finally discredit him, and raise awareness about his dangerous, misogynistic ideology that’s completely at odds with Islam,” Hafsa Lodi writes.

Opinion: This is what Andrew Tate means for Muslim women like me

Andrew Tate leaves Bucharest court in handcuffs amid human trafficking allegations

Tuesday 10 January 2023 15:40 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Tate brothers leave court awaiting appeal decision

Tuesday 10 January 2023 14:54 , Liam James

Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have left a Romanian court after appealing their continued detention.

The pair were walked to a waiting police van handcuffed to one another. Andrew carried a Quran in his hand as he had on the way in to court around six hours earlier.

The brothers were appealing against a judge’s decision to extend their arrest period from 24 hours to 30 days after they were detained on 29 December on suspicion of being part of an organised crime group, human trafficking and rape.

Who is Tristan Tate? All we know about Andrew Tate’s brother arrested in human trafficking raid

Tuesday 10 January 2023 14:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

When influencer Andrew Tate was arrested in Romania during a police raid, he was detained alongside three other people - one of them, his brother.

Tristan Tate, who is also a former kickboxer turned social media influencer, was detained in December as part of an investigation into human trafficking and rape by Romania’s anti-organised crime agency Didcot.

The four suspects, including the Tate brothers, will be held for 30 days after a judge extended their initial detention period of 24 hours, said Didcot spokesperson Ramona Bolla. Prosecutors say they found six women who had been sexually exploited by the suspects.

Thomas Kingsley has more:

All we know about Tristan Tate after arrest with brother Andrew in trafficking raid

Who is Andrew Tate? All you need to know about the influencer arrested in Romania

Tuesday 10 January 2023 14:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Emory Andrew Tate is a social media influencer and former kickboxer.

Tate was born in the US but came to live in Britain when he was four years old.

He is also the founder of Hustler’s University, an online “academy” where members pay a monthly membership fee in exchange for advice on how to make a passive income from several online industries.

Prior to being banned, Tate had a huge Instagram following of 4.6 million.

His popularity soared after videos of him began circulating on TikTok. At the time of writing, the hashtag #AndrewTate has accumulated 12.7 billion views.

Who is Andrew Tate? All you need to know about the influencer arrested in Romania

Andrew Tate arrived in court on Tuesday morning to appeal judge’s earlier decision

Tuesday 10 January 2023 13:29 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The divisive social media personality Andrew Tate arrived at a court in Romania in handcuffs on Tuesday morning to appeal a judge’s earlier decision to extend his arrest period from 24 hours to 30 days on charges of being part of an organised crime group, human trafficking and rape.

Tate, a 36-year-old British-U.S. citizen who has amassed 4.4 million followers on Twitter, was initially detained on Dec. 29 in an area of north of the capital Bucharest along with his brother Tristan, who is charged in the same case. Two Romanian women are also in custody.

All four of them immediately challenged the arrest extension that was granted to prosecutors on Dec. 30. A document explaining the judge’s motivation for the extension says “the possibility of them evading investigations cannot be ignored,” and that they could “leave Romania and settle in countries that do not allow extradition.”

A verdict from Bucharest’s Court of Appeal is expected to come later Tuesday, Eugen Vidineac, the Romanian lawyer representing Tate, told The Associated Press.

Romania’s anti-organised crime agency DIICOT said after the late December raids that it had identified six victims in the case who were subjected by the group to “acts of physical violence and mental coercion” and were sexually exploited by group members.

The agency said victims were lured by pretenses of love, and later intimidated, surveilled, and subjected to other control tactics into performing pornographic acts intended to reap substantial financial gains.

Prosecutors investigating the case have so far seized a total of 15 luxury cars — at least seven of which are owned by the Tate brothers — and more than 10 properties or land owned by companies registered to them, said Ramona Bolla, a spokesperson for DIICOT.

Bolla said that if prosecutors can prove they gained money through human trafficking, the property “will be taken by the state and (will) cover the expenses of the investigation and damages to the victims.”

Andrew Tate’s lawyer previously said ‘no evidence’ to support trafficking or rape allegations

Tuesday 10 January 2023 11:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The lawyer representing social media personality Andrew Tate claimed on Monday that there is “no evidence” to support allegations of human trafficking, rape or organised crime against him.

Eugen Vidineac, who represents both Tate brothers, had told Romanian online newspaper Gandul he believed the character someone like Tate portrays on social media could not be “used as evidence in a criminal trial” as it may not reflect who they are in real life.

Read more:

Andrew Tate’s lawyer says ‘no evidence’ to support trafficking or rape allegations

Andrew Tate in court to appeal against extension to human trafficking arrest

Tuesday 10 January 2023 11:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Social media personality Andrew Tate has arrived at a court in Romania in handcuffs, to appeal an extension to his arrest in a human trafficking probe.

A judge’s previously extended his detention period from 24 hours to 30 days on charges of being part of an organised crime group, trafficking and rape.

Tate, a 36-year-old British-US citizen who has amassed 4.4 million followers on Twitter, was initially detained on 29 December in an area of north of the capital Bucharest along with his brother Tristan, who is charged in the same case. Two Romanian women are also in custody.

Andrew Tate in court to appeal against extension to human trafficking arrest

ICYMI: Romanian authorities seize Andrew Tate’s car collection as investigation continues

Tuesday 10 January 2023 11:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Romanian authorities have seized a collection of cars belonging to misogynistic social media influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan.

Maya Oppenheim reports:

Romanian authorities seize Andrew Tate’s car collection as investigation continues

Here’s how to beat toxic men like Andrew Tate

Tuesday 10 January 2023 10:43 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

"News of Andrew Tate’s arrest has been met with relief by many hoping this will bring an end to his relevance. However, in my view (and experience) the damage is done. Tate’s views, amplified by social media, has already led to huge numbers of young men from my generation being manipulated, and without urgent intervention we may end up with a lost generation of young men."

Sufyan Ahmed writes:

Here’s how to beat toxic men like Andrew Tate

In 2023, let’s end the curse of the ‘anti-woke’ bigots

Tuesday 10 January 2023 09:30 , Sravasti Dasgupta

"Anti-wokery in the media has an audience because it’s full of comforting lies: pre-packaged opinions you can easily pick up and use to soothe any sense that something might need to change and that this might be costly to you, personally, in a way there’s no easy getting around."

Phil McDuff writes:

Opinion: In 2023, we need to end the curse of the ‘anti-woke’ bigots

Tate brothers arrive in Romania court

Tuesday 10 January 2023 09:06 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Andrew Tate and his brother have arrived in a Romanian court after being arrested for human trafficking, rape and organised crime charges.

The 36-year-old former kickboxer and controversial influencer stepped out the back of a police van handcuffed to his brother and holding a Quran.

On Monday, Mr Tate’s lawyer claimed there is “no evidence” to support the allegations against him or his brother.

All we know about Andrew Tate’s brother arrested in human trafficking raid

Tuesday 10 January 2023 08:15 , Sravasti Dasgupta

Tristan Tate, who is also a former kickboxer turned social media influencer, was detained in December as part of an investigation into human trafficking and rape by Romania’s anti-organised crime agency Didcot.

While the headlines around the arrest focused on the more famous Andrew Tate, his brother is less well known.

Thomas Kingsley reports:

All we know about Tristan Tate after arrest with brother Andrew in trafficking raid

Tate brothers to appear in court today for rape and human trafficking charges

Tuesday 10 January 2023 07:47 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A Romanian court is due to rule on Tuesday on a challenge filed by Andrew Tate, an internet personality notorious for hate speech, against his 30-day arrest for alleged human trafficking and formation of an organised crime group to exploit six women.

Tate, his brother Tristan and two Romanian female suspects were detained by Romanian anti-organised crime prosecutors on Dec. 29 pending a criminal investigation.

They have denied wrongdoing through an attorney and have challenged the arrest warrant.

Prosecutors have said the Tate brothers recruited their victims by seducing them and falsely claiming to want a relationship.

The victims were then taken to properties on the outskirts of capital Bucharest and through physical violence and mental intimidation were sexually exploited by being forced to produce pornographic content for social media sites which generated large financial gains, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors also said one of the brothers raped one of the victims in March of last year, which is when the investigation started.

“The possibility that the suspects would evade investigation, leave Romania and settle in countries that do not allow extradition given their financial possibilities and public comments to that regard cannot be ignored,” the court judge said in the written record approving the arrest.

Prosecutors have seized 15 luxury vehicles and over 10 properties and homes belonging to the suspects in Bucharest and Prahova and Brasov counties, Ramona Bolla, a spokesperson for Romanian anti-organized crime unit DIICOT, told Reuters.

The seizure was meant to prevent the assets being sold or concealed.

Should the court uphold the arrest warrant and the investigation need more time, prosecutors can seek approval for further extensions of up to 180 days of detention under Romanian law.