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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Maroosha Muzaffar

Andrew Tate believed someone ‘wanted to hurt him’, bodyguard claims

AP

Andrew Tate’s bodyguard has claimed that his boss believed “somebody wanted to hurt him”.

In an interview with BBC, Bogdan Stancu said Tate’s behaviour was “something similar” to paranoia but the far right influencer did not know where the threat was coming from.

“I would not say ‘paranoid’ but something similar maybe. He wanted to have a normal life and couldn’t - maybe it’s normal to be a little bit more paranoid,” Mr Stancu told the news outlet.

When travelling abroad, Mr Stancu said the former kickboxer could be impulsive.

“[The security team] stayed inside the hotel with the baggage locked and without changing our clothes,” he said, “because we knew anything could happen”.

Mr Stancu also commented on the women who accused Tate of sexual assault, who he said believed that “they would become his next wives”.

He continued: “When they realised the reality, it’s easy to transform from a friend into an enemy, and make a statement to the police.”

The problematic influencer and his brother, Tristan Tate are currently in 30-day custody in Romania as police investigate allegations of human trafficking and rape against them.

Mr Stancu claimed in the interview that more than 100 women had passed through the far-right influencer’s compound in Bucharest since he moved there two years ago. He said that many of the women were under the age of 25.

He further claimed that the women were often “too drunk” or “making problems”.

Investigators so far have seized £3.2m worth of assets from his home in Bucharest. Romanian authorities said that 29 assets, including luxury vehicles, watches and cash, have been taken from him.

On Saturday, several cars including a Rolls-Royce, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, were seen being taken from Tate’s compound on the outskirts of the capital, to be transported to a storage location.

Tate and his brother have challenged their 30-day detention, but the Bucharest court of appeals rejected the challenge this week and said they should remain in police custody.

Authorities have claimed that the two brothers, along with two Romanian nationals, of running “an organised crime group”.

The bodyguard said that the women in the sexual assault case were “young and stupid”.

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