Andrew Tate, the wealth-flaunting online influencer known for his misogynistic views, and his brother, Tristan, can be extradited to Britain to face sex crime charges after their trial in Romania concludes, the Bucharest Court of Appeal said on Tuesday.
The brothers were taken into custody Monday night in Romania on a European arrest warrant issued by the British authorities, the Romanian police said.
The charges related to the arrest were made between 2012 and 2015 and include allegations of sexual aggression, a spokesman for Mr. Tate said. The spokesman added that the charges had since been dismissed by the Crown Prosecution Service.
The police in Romania said in a brief statement that the arrest warrants were for sexual crimes and the exploitation of individuals in Britain. The men were ordered detained for 24 hours, it said. The court in Bucharest said in its extradition ruling on Tuesday that the brothers could be released.
Eugen Vidineac, a lawyer for the brothers, said the ruling “provides an opportunity for the brothers to participate fully in their defense and for the legal process to proceed in a transparent manner.”
It was unclear which British force had issued the warrant that led to Monday’s arrest.
The Bedfordshire Police in England said in a statement on Tuesday that it was working with the authorities in Romania. “As part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of rape and human trafficking, Bedfordshire Police has obtained a European Arrest Warrant for two men in their 30s,” the police said.
Mr. Tate’s spokesman said the brothers “categorically reject all charges and express profound disappointment that such serious allegations are being resurrected without substantial new evidence.”
McCue Jury and Partners, a law firm in Britain, said in a statement on Tuesday that it was representing four British women who have accused Mr. Tate of “rape and serious physical and sexual assaults.”
The firm said that it received information last week that Mr. Tate might have been planning to flee Romania, where he faced other charges. The firm passed that information on to the British police, urging them to seek a warrant for Mr. Tate’s arrest and extradition to Britain.
“We are grateful that the British authorities have decided to take action and take heed of our concerns,” the firm said.
A spokeswoman for Mr. Tate denied that the brothers had planned to flee Romania. “We believe this rumor has originated from a popular online influencer who misconstrued a text message from our clients while streaming live,” the spokeswoman said.
Mr. Tate, who regularly uses various platforms to broadcast his virulent brand of male chauvinism, posted on social media Tuesday morning, “The Matrix is afraid, but I only fear God.”
Mr. Tate, a former professional kickboxer, and his brother were separately charged in 2022 with forming an organized criminal group and engaging in human trafficking across Romania, Britain and the United States.
Some details of those charges have been kept confidential, but an official in the prosecutor’s office in Romania confirmed that the 2022 case included accusations of rape against Mr. Tate. The brothers have denied the accusations and maintain their innocence.
It was not immediately clear when a trial in that case would begin.
Mr. Tate’s profile grew after he appeared as a contestant on the British reality show “Big Brother” in 2016. He was kicked off the show, according to The Sun, after a video surfaced of him hitting a woman with a belt, an act that he and the woman said was consensual.
He has amassed millions of followers, many of them young men, by claiming that men are victims of feminism and that women “belong” to men and need men’s guidance.
Because Mr. Tate’s views have reached so many school-aged boys, education officials across Britain have been scrambling to mitigate his influence. In fact, some are using class time to discuss Mr. Tate.
Matei Barbulescu contributed reporting from Romania.
