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Rightwing influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have flown out of Romania on a private jet bound for the US, after prosecutors lifted restrictions banning them from leaving the country where they were held on multiple charges including sexual exploitation.
The brothers, who are dual US and UK nationals, have been detained in Romania since 2022 on charges of human trafficking, sexual exploitation and money laundering, as well as operating an organised crime group. They have denied wrongdoing.
Romanian authorities said on Thursday that they had “modified” the ban on the defendants leaving Romanian territory, although prosecutors also said criminal prosecution against the pair continued.
People familiar with the case said the brothers flew out of the country aboard a private plane bound for Florida in the US. A jet that departed Bucharest airport at about 5am local time was heading towards the US, according to flight tracking service Flightradar24.
The decision by Romanian authorities to lift travel restrictions on the self-described misogynist influencers came after US pressure, as first reported by the Financial Times. Washington has pushed Romanian authorities to lift restrictions on the brothers, including interventions from high-ranking officials.
Romania’s foreign minister Emil Hurezeanu told the FT on Thursday that he had “no information whatsoever about the release” of the Tate brothers, nor “information about US requests or inquiries”. A Bucharest-based lawyer for the brothers declined to comment.
Andrew Tate has built a following of several millions on online platforms targeted at young men that promote masculinity and reject feminism.
His detention in Romania has attracted significant interest in the US, where it has been championed by rightwing social media, with figures such as former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson, a leading supporter of President Donald Trump, conducting sympathetic interviews.
Other internet personalities and political actors have campaigned for his release, including podcaster Mario Nawfal, who has been closely involved in events considered important by Trump loyalists in Romania.
Pro-Trump influencers have also criticised Romania for annulling the first round of its presidential election in December, after the authorities alleged extensive Russian meddling in the vote to benefit far-right candidate Călin Georgescu who finished first.
Prosecutors on Wednesday began a criminal investigation into Georgescu, with legal experts suggesting the allegations against him could be used to block him from running in repeat elections set for May.
Analysts said the two cases underscored the extreme political pressures on Romania’s justice system.
Costin Ciobanu, a researcher at Aarhus University who is a specialist in Romania, said recent events were “likely to spark internal debates and raise questions about how the judiciary” has handled the cases.
He said the lifting of restrictions on the Tates, combined with Elon Musk’s frequent tweets about Georgescu, added “a colourful, tabloid-like — yet no less important, given the serious accusations against the Tate brothers — dimension to the bilateral relationship between the US and Romania.”
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