Andrew and Tristan Tate fight UK extradition

Miami, July 22: Social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate will fight extradition to the United Kingdom, where the brothers are accused of rape and sex trafficking, their lawyer said on Monday, suggesting their arrest in Miami was politically motivated without explaining why.

The Tates appeared in a federal court on Monday for the first time since their arrest on Saturday and are being held in federal custody. In the coming weeks, a U.S. district judge will consider whether they meet the conditions for extradition. U.S. Magistrate Lauren Louis scheduled another hearing for 27 July.

In court documents unsealed on Monday, U.S. prosecutors outlined allegations from the United Kingdom involving three victims. One woman accused Tristan Tate of rape and assault during a long-term relationship that began in 2012, including incidents when she was unconscious, and said she reported him to U.K. authorities on multiple occasions. Two other women, one who met Andrew Tate through a webcam business and another via a dating app, also accused him of rape and assault in 2014 and 2015.

The brothers, whose social media empire promotes wealth, male dominance and misogyny, are among the world's most polarising internet personalities.

Usually photographed in tailored suits and fitted shirts, they appeared in tan prison uniforms and handcuffs during Monday's brief hearing. Neither brother spoke.

Their solicitor, Joseph McBride, insisted they should remain in the United States.

"We are, of course, objecting to extradition because Andrew and Tristan are innocent," McBride said after the hearing. "They've never done anything wrong. They shouldn't be extradited for crimes they did not commit."

The brothers were surprised by their arrest, McBride said, adding that the attempt to extradite them was politically motivated. "There's no question about it," he told reporters.

He suggested the Tates' case "had a lot to do with" former British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's decision to step down, without providing any details, and said it was no coincidence that the brothers were arrested after meeting "friends in Washington, D.C."

"We went to see our Congress people in D.C. and now we're getting arrested. This feels political," McBride said. He did not specify whom the pair met or what was discussed.

On Sunday, McBride said he was confident the extradition request would be refused.

Prosecutors in Britain said the new charges relate to four additional victims and were brought after authorities received evidence from Bedfordshire Police in south-east England. The allegations, spanning 2010 to 2017, include rape, assault, trafficking and offences relating to indecent images of a child and extreme pornography. McBride said none of the latest complainants had been identified, adding: "We'd like to know who's accused Andrew and Tristan of what."

The brothers are already charged with rape, causing bodily harm, human trafficking and controlling prostitution for gain in relation to three other alleged victims in the U.K. between 2012 and 2015.

Their solicitor said in a statement on Saturday that he believed the arrests had been "green-lighted by a low-level functionary" at the Justice Department without the involvement of senior leadership. The Justice Department told The Associated Press that the arrests had been approved by the leadership of its Criminal Division.

The new allegations are the latest development in a long-running international legal saga involving the Tates, spanning the United States, Britain and Romania. The brothers have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

The dual U.S.-British citizens moved to Romania in 2016. They were arrested there in 2022, accused of taking part in schemes to lure women for sexual exploitation. They denied those allegations, and the Romanian case has not progressed because of legal and procedural issues.

Last year, they were permitted to leave Romania and flew to Florida.

The former professional kickboxers have millions of followers on social media and are outspoken supporters of President Donald Trump.

Andrew Tate, 39, first came to public attention a decade ago as a contestant on the U.K. reality television programme Big Brother. He was removed from the programme after a video appeared to show him assaulting a woman.

He has amassed more than 10 million followers on X but has been banned from other platforms, including YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, for breaching hate speech guidelines. He has made widely condemned remarks, including suggesting that women who are sexually assaulted should bear some responsibility for the attacks, and has shared graphic descriptions of how he might attack women.

The Tate brothers have consistently denied allegations of abuse and human trafficking, claiming their violent and misogynistic remarks have been taken out of context or were intended as jokes.(AP)