Controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate has been released from prison in Romania together with his brother Tristan after successfully appealing against their detention. They have been behind bars in Bucharest ever since they were arrested at the end of December last year on suspicion of alleged human trafficking and forming an organised crime group.
The brothers, who are both kickboxers, have since lodged many failed appeals, but today they were successful in appealing last week's decision to extend their prison spell for another 30 days. The pair will now be held on house arrest, The Mirror reports. Two women from Romania who were also arrested in connection with the investigation will also be under house arrest, it is reported.
Andrew, 36, and Tristan, 34, were held on "preventative arrest" by a Romanian judge after six efforts to secure their release. Both brothers tweeted a cryptic message that simply read "Friday. InshaAllah", indicating they were confident of their release. You can get more story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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The pair have gone viral for a string of controversial videos that led viewers to brand them misogynist. Last year, Andrew was banned from social media for reported misogynist views, including a claim that women "bear responsibility" for sexual assault. The brothers have maintained a strong social media presence throughout this year, with Andrew's page posting frequent messages to his 5.4million followers. Tristan, while less prolific, continues to share posts on a relatively regular basis to his one million Twitter followers.
A spokesperson for Tate said last week after a previous attempt at release: "The court has decided to extend the Tate brothers’ preventative arrest. We have been rendered speechless by the news. The interaction with the judge was extremely dynamic and the brothers were offered for the first time the opportunity to present all legal guarantees that they are not a flight risk.
"They are the first ones who want light to be shed on this case. The substantial material damages they have suffered are nothing compared to the moral ones. Their image has been irreparably harmed and it will take years to rebuild the reputation, trust and connection with the general public."
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