Online influencer Andrew Tate will be extradited to the UK after Bedfordshire Police secured a European arrest warrant for allegations of rape and human trafficking.
The force said they are working with authorities in Romania as part of an investigation into the 37-year-old and his 35-year-old brother Tristan.
The pair were detained on Tuesday and appeared at the court of appeal in Bucharest where it was ruled they would be extradited following the conclusion of legal proceedings in Romania.
The two brothers "unequivocally deny" the allegations, which date back to 2012-2015.
They were released from police custody following the hearing, their representative said.
In a statement, Bedfordshire Police said: "As part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of rape and human trafficking, Bedfordshire Police has obtained a European arrest warrant for two men in their 30s.
"We are working with authorities in Romania as part of this investigation and will provide an update in due course.”
Eugen Vidineac, one of the lawyers representing the Tate brothers, said they appreciated the Bucharest Court of Appeal's decision to postpone the extradition of Andrew and Tristan Tate.
He said: "This ruling provides an opportunity for the brothers to participate fully in their defence and for the legal process to proceed in a transparent manner."
It comes after lawyers representing four British women who accused Tate of rape and sexual assault wrote to British police to immediately seek his detention after receiving information he was planning to flee Romania.
In a statement, McCue Jury & Partners, the law firm representing the four women said: "This morning, it came to our attention that Tate has been detained in Romania after an arrest warrant and extradition request was issued by the authorities in the United Kingdom to Romania in respect of allegations of sexual offences during the same period in which our clients allege Tate raped and assaulted them.
"Last week, we received information that Tate might have been planning to flee Romania, where he is due to stand trial for separate allegations of rape and human trafficking.
"We wrote to the British police to bring this to their attention and to urge them to immediately seek a warrant for Tate's detention in Romania and extradition to the UK.
"While we cannot and do not comment on any knowledge of ongoing investigations, we are grateful that the British authorities have decided to take action and take heed of our concerns and the concerns of our clients.
"Tate is accused of serious criminal offences against a large number of victims and must be held accountable for those actions."
In response Tate’s spokesperson said they “unequivocally deny any accusations that Andrew or Tristan Tate intends to abscond from Romania to evade the judicial proceedings”.They added: “Our clients are fully committed to actively participating in the legal process and defending their reputation. We believe this rumour has originated from a popular online influencer who misconstrued a text message from our clients while streaming live. There is simply no truth to it."
Four women had reported Tate to British authorities for alleged sexual violence and physical abuse, but the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to prosecute him.
The alleged victims then turned to crowdfunding to cover their legal costs as they pursued a civil case against him.
"We handed over our evidence about the horrific acts of violence we endured and waited for action. But four years later we were told the UK authorities would not prosecute him," they state on their campaign page. "It's our one remaining route to hold him accountable."
Andrew Tate is charged in a separate case in Romania with rape, human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.
The kickboxer-turned-influencer was arrested near Bucharest in December 2022 along with Tristan and two Romanian women.
Romanian prosecutors formally indicted all four in June last year and they have denied the allegations.
Tate, who has amassed 8.9 million followers on X, has repeatedly claimed Romanian prosecutors have no evidence against him and that there is a political conspiracy to silence him.
He was previously banned from various social media platforms for expressing misogynistic views and for hate speech.
