Social media influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan were arrested Saturday in Miami, the US Marshals Service told AFP.
The UK Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement that the Tates, who face charges in Britain, were arrested by US marshals.
The brothers were taken into custody on a sealed warrant, agency spokesperson Brady McCarron told The Associated Press, placing the United States at the center of an international legal saga that has stretched from Romania to Britain.
UK prosecutors will be seeking the brothers' extradition in relation to charges including rape, trafficking and assault, the statement read.
News outlet TMZ posted a video of officers placing the men in custody.
The brothers are expected to appear in Miami’s federal court early next week, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive law enforcement operations.
Who are Tate brothers?
Influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate's social media empire promoting wealth, male dominance and misogyny has made them among the world’s most polarising internet personalities, according to the Associated Press.
Andrew Tate, 39, first reached a mainstream audience as a contestant on the UK reality television show “Big Brother” in 2016. He was removed from the show when a video surfaced that appeared to show Tate assaulting a woman.
He and his brother Tristan Tate, 38, are vocal supporters of US President Donald Trump.
Andrew Tate has amassed over 10 million followers on X but has been banned from platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Instagram for violating hate speech guidelines.
His most widely condemned rhetoric includes comments that women who are sexually assaulted should bear some responsibility for their attacks, graphic descriptions of how he might attack women and criticisms of people who seek treatment for mental illness, AP reported.
The Tate brothers have consistently denied allegations of abuse and human trafficking, claiming that violent and misogynistic statements have been taken out of context or were intended as jokes.
The dual US and British citizens moved to Romania in 2016. They were arrested there in 2022, accused of participating in schemes to lure women for sexual exploitation.
They denied those allegations, and the case didn’t go forward because of legal and procedural irregularities.
The pending charges in the United Kingdom accused the brothers of abusing women in an area north of London, where they grew up. Their lawyers had said they denied the allegations.
British prosecutors announced Saturday that they were seeking the brothers’ extradition on charges alleging they raped and trafficked women between 2010 and 2017.
(With inputs from agencies)
