CBC Lite Sections News • World Tate brothers to fight extradition to U.K., where both face charges of rape The Associated Press | Posted: July 21, 2026 12:29 PM | Last Updated: 1 hour ago Andrew and Tristan Tate now face 2 sets of criminal charges in Britain, involving 7 alleged victims Image | APTOPIX Romania Andrew Tate Caption: Andrew Tate, right, is shown speaking to media next to his brother Tristan in Bucharest, Romania, on March 22, 2025. (Vadim Ghirda/The Associated Press) (BUTTON) Load image Open image in new tab 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. The Tates appeared in federal court on Monday for the first time since their arrest on Saturday and are being held in federal detention. In the coming weeks, a U.S. district judge will consider whether they meet the conditions for extradition. U.S. Magistrate Lauren Louis set another hearing for July 27. In court documents unsealed on Monday, U.S. prosecutors described allegations from the United Kingdom against the brothers involving three victims. One woman accused Tristan Tate of rape and assault during a long-term relationship with him beginning in 2012, including when she was unconscious, reporting him to U.K. authorities multiple times. Two other women — one who met Andrew Tate through a webcam business and another through a dating app — also accused him of rape and assault in 2014 and 2015. The brothers, through their social media empire promoting wealth, male dominance and misogyny, are among the world's most polarizing internet personalities. Normally photographed in tailored suits and fitted shirts, they wore tan jail uniforms and handcuffs during Monday's brief hearing. Neither brother said a word. Their attorney, Joseph McBride, insisted they should remain in the U.S. "We are of course objecting to extradition because Andrew and Tristan are innocent," McBride said after the hearing. "They've never done nothing wrong. They shouldn't be extradited for crimes they did not commit." LISTEN | New Yorker reporter Heidi Blake on her investigation into the Tates: Media Audio | Front Burner : Open full embed in new tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. Lawyer raises vague political accusation McBride also suggested the attempt to have them extradited was politically motivated. He said 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." Image | Tate Brothers Caption: Attorney Joseph McBride speaks to media following the court hearing for his clients Andrew and Tristan Tate on Monday in Miami. (Marta Lavandier/The Associated Press) (BUTTON) Load image Open image in new tab "We went to see our Congress people in D.C. and now we're getting arrested. This feels political," McBride said. He didn't specify who the pair met with or what was discussed. Prosecutors in Britain said the new charges relate to four new victims and were brought after authorities received evidence from Bedfordshire Police in southeastern 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 accusers have been identified, adding "we'd like to know who's accused Andrew and Tristan of what." The brothers are already charged with rape, bodily harm, human trafficking and controlling prostitution for gain relating to three other alleged victims in the U.K. between 2012 and 2015. Their lawyer said in a statement on Saturday that he believed the arrests were "greenlighted by a low-level functionary" at the Justice Department without input from leadership. The Justice Department told The Associated Press that the arrests were approved by leadership of its Criminal Division. The new allegations are the latest in a long-running international legal saga involving the Tates that has spanned the U.S., Britain and Romania. The brothers have repeatedly denied wrongdoing. * Andrew Tate, brother Tristan in U.S. after leaving Romania amid rape, trafficking charges The dual U.S. 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 Romanian case hasn't gone forward because of legal and procedural problems. Last year, they were allowed to leave Romania and flew to Florida. Trump supporters The former professional kickboxers have millions of followers on social media and are vocal supporters of President Donald Trump. Andrew Tate, 39, first became known a decade ago when he was a contestant on the U.K. reality television show Big Brother. He was booted from the show when 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 for violating hate speech guidelines, including YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. He has made widely condemned comments, such as saying women who are sexually assaulted should bear some responsibility for the attacks and sharing 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 statements have been taken out of context or were intended as jokes. More Stories Like This The related links below are generated automatically based on the story you’ve just read. Loading... CBC Lite is a low-bandwidth website. To see what's new, check out our release notes. For high quality images, media, comments, and other additional features visit the full version of this story. We and select advertising partners use trackers to collect some of your data in order to enhance your experience and to deliver personalized content and advertising. If you are not comfortable with the use of this information, please review your device and browser privacy settings before continuing your visit. 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