Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan are back in court today, asking to be set free from detention in Romania.
Around the world, many will be waiting to see what happens next.
The allegations levelled against the pair, along with two women, centre around claims of rape, people trafficking and organised crime. They follow the arrest of all four at the end of December.
Romania’s DIICOT unit, which investigates terrorism and organised crimes, says it has identified six victims who were subject to “acts of physical violence and mental coercion” and were “sexually exploited by group members”.
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The Tates were arrested at their large home in a Bucharest suburb, and placed in cells a short distance from the main appeal court, where they will appear today.
They have been there ever since, other than a brief period where it is understood one of the brothers was removed for medical attention.
Their lawyers will argue that their detention is unlawful and that possessions should be returned to them that have been seized by Romanian authorities.
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The hearing will start in the morning, with Tate’s lawyer, Eugen Vidineac, telling Sky News that it could “take all day”.
He is expected to tell the court that there is no evidence against his clients beyond a single statement, and that due process has not been followed.
Andrew Tate has built a huge social media following through his highly provocative messages, menacing tweets and short films, which portray women as submissive to men and have widely been condemned as misogynistic.
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Who is the self-styled ‘king of toxic masculinity’?
He has described himself as the “king of toxic masculinity” and claims to have built a fortune on a business empire that has been focused upon webcam pornography and the so-called “Hustlers University”, which charges members a monthly fee to teach them how to earn more money, and has been criticised as a pyramid-selling scheme designed simply to promote Tate’s growing fame.
The allegations against him focus upon an allegation that he and his brother lured women to Romania on the pretence of a romantic relationship and then forced them into carrying out pornographic acts under duress, which were then filmed.
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Tate has been expelled from Instagram and TikTok for posting hateful content, but his Twitter account, with 4.4 million followers, has recently been restored to the platform following Twitter’s takeover by Elon Musk.
He is now using it to release a series of messages proclaiming his innocence and blaming “the Matrix” for “attacking” him.
