The warrant stems from charges in the U.K. that include “allegations of sexual aggression” from 2012 through 2015, according to the statement from the Tate brothers.
Spokeswoman Mateea Petrescu said the brothers could be held for longer than 24 hours. An appeals court in Bucharest is expected to make a decision on next steps.
Andrew Tate was separately charged with rape and human trafficking in Romania and was arrested there with his brother in December 2022. He was released from house arrest last year after months in detention.
The brothers — as well as two Romanian female suspects also accused of running a trafficking ring — were required to remain in the country and report regularly to a police station, according to a judicial ruling. Romanian prosecutors had indicted them in June, recommending the case for trial. They deny the charges.
Tuesday’s statement from the Tate brothers said they reject the U.K. charges and “express profound disappointment that such serious allegations are being resurrected without substantial new evidence,” years after being dismissed by Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service. The service did not immediately respond to requests for comment early Tuesday.
Andrew Tate, a former kickboxer who has built a cultish following online, has dual British and American citizenship. Tate, who has said that people who are raped “bear some responsibility” and that women are the property of their husbands, has been banned from several social media platforms over misogynist remarks. Fans have called him the “king of toxic masculinity.”
Loveday Morris contributed to this report.
