Influencer Andrew Tate Detained Again By Romanian Police After Report That He Is Preparing To Flee The Country

Livestreamer Adin Ross might have inadvertently played a role in the detention of social media influencer Andrew Tate by Romanian authorities.

Late on Monday, Tate, a British American influencer who gained prominence while he lived in the U.K., was apprehended in Romania and served with a U.K. arrest warrant related to allegations of rape and sexual assault. Tate’s representative confirmed that he and his brother, Tristan Tate, were detained.

The brothers had previously been released from house arrest in August after they were indicted on rape and trafficking charges in June.

Ross, known to be a friend of Tate, is a popular livestream personality who frequently collaborates with rappers and celebrities. A law firm that represents some of Tate’s accusers informed that in a livestream on the Kick platform last week, Ross revealed that Tate had sent him a text message that he intended to leave Romania indefinitely.

Ross recounted that Tate had suggested they engage in a week of extensive livestreams and content creation before his departure, as he believed it would generate significant attention. Ross recalled, “[Tate] said ‘It’s basically now or never.’” The clip of Ross’ discussion of Tate’s message was widely shared online after Tate’s arrest.

Matthew Jury, a lawyer who represents Tate’s U.K. accusers, responded to the arrest with an emphasis on what he called the disinformation around the case.

Based on complaints filed with the U.K. police in 2014-2015, Jury’s clients have pursued a U.K. civil case against Tate, as they allege rape and abuse. The police, however, only forwarded this information to prosecutors in 2019, who subsequently declined to press charges. The delay prompted the accusers to assert that such negligence allowed Tate to relocate to Romania and allegedly commit further crimes against women, which he now awaits trial for.

Prosecutors attributed their decision not to press charges to evidentiary issues and a lack of realistic prospects for conviction. The U.K. police later apologized to the women involved for the extended delay.

Throughout the process, both Tate brothers have vehemently denied all accusations of sexual violence. Tate’s spokesperson, Mateea Petrescu, has denied that Tate ever planned to flee to Romania.

In 2023, Twitch, the Amazon-owned live streaming platform, permanently banned Ross after he displayed racist and antisemitic comments made by his viewers while on a live stream. Ross initially claimed to be banned from Twitch for “no reason,” but later acknowledged that the unmoderated chat messages led to the ban.

With millions of followers on social media, the Tate brothers wield significant influence, particularly over young boys. Their influence has become a concern to the extent that the U.K. has implemented an educational initiative to counteract Tate’s impact in classrooms.

Tate’s legal problems were recently mocked on South Park.