Infamous social media influencer and former kickboxer Andrew Tate has been granted house arrest, the BBC reported Friday.
Tate and his brother, Tristan, were detained in Romania on human trafficking and rape allegations in December 2022. The ruling by a Court of Appeal in Bucharest, Romania, also granted house arrest for Tristan, along with the brothers’ alleged associates Georgiana Naghel and Luana Radu, according to the BBC.
Tate rose to fame through promoting a luxurious lifestyle based on misogynistic rhetoric to legions of followers before being banned on various social media platforms. Though now reinstated on the site, Tate was previously barred from Twitter for suggesting female sexual assault victims should “bear responsibility,” the outlet reported.
The British-American masculinity influencer had reportedly been living in Romania since 2017. He allegedly coerced his purported victims into earning money on social media via debts and threats of physical violence, the BBC reported, citing leaked court documents.
BREAKING: Andrew Tate has been released and is now on house arrest 😳‼️ pic.twitter.com/gVejepWL6w
— RapTV (@Rap) March 31, 2023
Tate, his brother and their alleged associates have yet to be charged in the case, although Romanian prosecutors have identified six alleged victims since April 2022, the BBC reported. Tate’s lawyers previously argued preventative arrest was too harsh and broached the option of house arrest, according to the outlet. (RELATED: ‘Oppressed By Feminists’: It Looks Like Some Taliban Supporters Have Denounced Andrew Tate’s Arrest)
The Tate brothers have denied the allegations against them, but previous attempts to appeal their arrests proved unsuccessful. They also face allegations related to the formation of an organized crime group, the BBC reported.
Tate, his brother and their alleged associates are to be confined to their residences and will not be able to travel outside without permission from judicial authorities, according to the BBC.