Tate brothers arrested in US as further UK charges take total to 59
The Crown Prosecution Service says it has requested their extradition from the US, while their lawyer says they are innocent.
Controversial influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have been arrested in the US after British authorities issued 38 new charges against the pair.
The UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Andrew was being charged with seven further counts of rape, as well as charges relating to sex trafficking and indecent images of a child.
Tristan's charges include two counts of rape and three counts of arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation.
The total number of charges against the brothers is now 59, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire police said.
The alleged offending is said to have taken place between July 2010 and August 2017. The Tates have previously denied any wrongdoing.
Following their arrest, prosecutors will begin legal proceeding to extradite the brothers, who are dual British-US citizens, to the UK, the CPS said.
"These charging decisions followed receipt of a further file of evidence from Bedfordshire Police and bring the total number of alleged victims in this case to seven," Malcolm McHaffie, Head of the Special Crime Division at the CPS, said.
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire police have been investigating a number of offences in what it called a "complex investigation".
As a result, 38 new charges were authorised against the brothers, meaning Andrew, 39, faces a total of 42 charges in the UK and Tristan, 37, faces 17.
The US Marshals confirmed to the BBC that the Tates had been taken into custody, while a US Department of Justice spokesperson said the arrests were "pursuant to extradition proceedings".
A lawyer who represents the Tates, Joseph McBride, said "the world knows Andrew and Tristan are innocent" in a statement released after their arrest on Saturday evening.
"Their enemies know it best of all. That is exactly why they have been attacked," McBride continued, describing the new UK charges as a "political hit".
He said the new charges were designed to counter a defamation action filed by the brothers in the US.
"We are confident that once a competent judge sees the facts, and once the Department of Justice confronts this egregious abuse of its own authority, Andrew and Tristan Tate will walk free. America does not do Britain's political dirty work," he continued.
In 2024, Bedfordshire Police secured European arrest warrants for the pair to have them returned from Romania, where they are based and are under criminal investigation.
In June, the brothers lost a legal bid to be told the names of their UK accusers, after the CPS decided it was necessary to withhold the names of their alleged victims until legal action formally started.
Lawyer Matt Jury, who represents several alleged British victims of Andrew, welcomed the charges and said: "Andrew and Tristan Tate are accused of some of the most serious offences, including multiple counts of rape and human trafficking. It is time they face justice".
