Latest news with #HenriCoandaInternationalAirport
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Yahoo
Tate brothers back in Romania to fight 'garbage' human trafficking allegations
March 22 (UPI) -- British-American influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan returned to Romania aboard a private jet from Miami, where they face human trafficking and other charges. Andrew Tate, 38, and Tristan Tate, 36, landed at Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport early Saturday local time. They had flown in the United States on Feb. 27 after Romanian prosecutors lifted a two-year travel ban following of their arrests in December 2022. Speaking to reporters Saturday outside his residence in Bucharest, Andrew Tate said "anyone who believed any of this garbage has a particularly low IQ." "After all we've been through, we truly deserve the day in court where it is stated that we've done nothing wrong and that we should have never been in court in the first place," Andrew Tate said. "We should have never gone to jail. We should have never had our assets seized. We should have never had our names slandered. Andrew Tate, a former professional kickboxer with 10.8 million followers on X, posted a picture with his brother to the social media platform from the flight, writing that "innocent men don't run. THEY CLEAR THEIR NAME IN COURT." Romanian prosecutors said the brothers are "under judicial control" and must regularly report to the authorities, with the first check-in scheduled for Monday. The brothers are accused of human trafficking and forming an organized group to sexually exploit women in Romania. Andrew Tate, a self-proclaimed "misogynist" who claims to have made millions from social media despite being previously banned from platforms for his views, also is accused of rape. In addition, they are the targets of a separate investigation in Britain into allegations of rape and human trafficking. In the United States, a woman in a civil suit also alleges the brothers coerced her into sex work, and then defamed her after she gave evidence to Romanian authorities. They have denied the allegations. After they arrived in Florida, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said the state has "zero tolerance for people who abuse women and girls." He announced an active criminal investigation into the brothers, led by the Office of Statewide Prosecution. UltraViolet, a female-led gender-justice organization, has launched an advertising campaign against the Tates, accusing President Donald Trump of facilitating them to come to the United States. Trump has said he didn't know anything about the release of the brothers, who are Trump supporters. Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, said of the Tate brothers arrival in the state last month that "the reality is, Florida is not a place where you are welcome, with that type of conduct in the air. "I found out through the media that this was something that was happening," he said at the time. The Tates' attorney, Joseph McBride, blasted UltraViolet's campaign in a statement to the Miami Herald. "Feminism is a cancer that is responsible for the breakdown of the natural family, the rearing of pathetic men, and the genocide of children in the womb," McBride said in the statement. "The fact these losers want to jail Andrew and Tristan Tate for preaching their version of traditional masculinity highlights the fact that these fascist feminists are fragile weaklings incapable of defending their position in the free marketplace of ideas. Long live the First Amendment."
CBS News
22-03-2025
- CBS News
Influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate return to Romania after weeks in U.S.
After weeks in the United States, influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate arrived early Saturday back in Romania, where they face charges of human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women . The Tates, who are dual U.S. and British citizens, were arrested in Romania in late 2022 and formally indicted last year on charges that they participated in a criminal ring that lured women to Romania, where they were allegedly sexually exploited. Andrew Tate was also charged with rape. They deny all of the allegations against them. The brothers' plane — which Andrew Tate said earlier in a post on X cost $185,000 to "jet across the Atlantic to sign one single piece of paper" — landed at Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport shortly before 1:00 a.m. local time Saturday morning. After arriving at their residence near Bucharest, Andrew Tate told reporters they returned because "innocent men don't run from anything" and he vowed to clear his name in court. "After all we've been through, we truly deserve the day in court where it is stated that we've done nothing wrong and that we should have never been in court in the first place. We should have never gone to jail. We should have never had our assets seized. We should have never had our names slandered," he said. "Anyone who believed any of this garbage has a particularly low IQ." The brothers remain under judicial control, which requires them to appear before judicial authorities in Romania when summoned. Eugen Vidineac, one of the Tate brothers' lawyers in Romania, told The Associated Press that the Tates are due to check in with a surveillance officer on Monday. The brothers' return to Romania comes nearly a month after a travel ban imposed on the brothers was lifted in February. They arrived at Florida's Fort Lauderdale airport on Feb. 28. When asked about the pair's arrival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told reporters that the state is "not a place where you're welcome with that type of conduct in the air." "I don't know how it came to this," DeSantis said. The brothers have publicly supported President Trump. The Financial Times reported in February that the Trump administration had been pushing Romanian authorities to return the brothers' U.S. passports and allow them to leave the country. Romanian Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu told Euronews that U.S. envoy Richard Grenell had raised the case with him at the Munich Security Conference in mid-February. Hurezeanu denied that he had been pressured. When asked about the brothers' travel to the United States, Mr. Trump said he knew "nothing about that" but would "look into it." Days after the Tates arrived in the U.S., on March 4, Florida's Attorney General James Uthmeier said his office had opened a criminal investigation into Andrew and Tristan Tate. He said in a social media post that he directed his office to work with law enforcement to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the brothers. A day after the investigation was opened, Andrew Tate said in a post on X: "I didn't commit any crime and they're trying to find one because they don't like me." The lifting of their two-year travel ban came after a Bucharest court in December ruled that a case against the brothers could not go to trial because of multiple legal and procedural irregularities on the part of the prosecutors. The case, however, remained open. For his part, Tristan Tate said after returning to Romania, "I think it's very telling that we were investigated for two and a half years, and we were dragged ... in front of the media, into prison, out of prison, all this time, and in December last year, a judge said ... there's not evidence enough for this to even go to trial." Last August, Romania's anti-organized crime agency DIICOT also launched a second case against the brothers, investigating allegations of human trafficking, the trafficking of minors, sexual intercourse with a minor, influencing statements and money laundering. They have denied those charges as well. Andrew Tate, 38, a former professional kickboxer and self-described misogynist who has amassed more than 10 million followers on X, has repeatedly claimed that prosecutors in Romania have no evidence against him and that there is a political conspiracy to silence him. "There are a lot of people in the world today that do not have faith in Romanian institutions ... but we're going to restore that faith by coming home, as American citizens, going to court, and getting the not guilty that we deserve," Andrew Tate said. "If a court needs to speak to us, we'll be there because we're innocent." The Tate brothers' legal battles are not limited to Romania. Four British women who accused Andrew Tate of sexual violence and physical abuse are suing him in the U.K. after the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to prosecute him. Late last year, a U.K. court ruled that police could seize $3.3 million worth of frozen assets from the brothers to cover years of unpaid taxes. In March last year, the Tate brothers appeared at the Bucharest Court of Appeal in a separate case after U.K. authorities issued arrest warrants over allegations of sexual aggression in a case dating back to the period from 2012 to 2015. The appeals court granted the U.K. request to extradite the Tates, but only after legal proceedings in Romania have concluded.
Sky News
22-03-2025
- Sky News
Andrew Tate leaves the US to return to Romania 'to prove innocent men don't run from anything'
Andrew Tate, the self-styled "king of toxic masculinity", and his brother Tristan have flown from the US to Romania to fulfil legal obligations related to a criminal investigation against them. The brothers are under investigation in Romania on multiple accusations, including forming an organised crime group and human trafficking. They have denied all wrongdoing. The brothers' plane - which Andrew Tate said earlier in a post on X cost $185,000 dollars (£143,140 to "jet across the Atlantic to sign one single piece of paper" - landed at Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport shortly before 1am local time on Saturday morning. After arriving at their residence near Bucharest, they vowed to clear their names in court, with Tate saying "innocent men don't run from anything". He went on to tell reporters: "After all we've been through, we truly deserve the day in court where it is stated that we've done nothing wrong and that we should have never been in court in the first place. We should have never gone to jail. We should have never had our assets seized. We should have never had our names slandered. "Anyone who believed any of this garbage has a particularly low IQ." As part of preventative judicial control measures pending the investigation, the Tates are required to regularly check in with authorities in Romania. Their next check-in is due on Monday. Their return to Romania comes almost a month after the brothers travelled to Florida after Romanian prosecutors lifted a travel ban against them. Florida's attorney general James Uthmeier said earlier this month that his office had opened a criminal investigation against the brothers, a move welcomed by the US National Centre on Sexual Exploitation, which represents one of Tate's alleged victims. Tate said on X at the time that the brothers had returned to Miami to see family and had been insulted by the opening of the investigation. "We have no criminal record and expected a hero's welcome after being unfairly abused abroad," he wrote. An initial criminal case against the Tate brothers failed in December when a Bucharest court decided not to start the trial and sent the files back to prosecutors, citing flaws in the indictment. A British arrest warrant has also been issued for the Tates and they will be extradited after the Romanian trial proceedings are completed. The allegations in Britain, which they have denied, relate to sexual aggression between 2012 and 2015.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Romania's humiliating Andrew Tate climbdown is a warning to Europe
Kickboxer-turned-fugitive Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have fled Romania. A Gulfstream jet carrying the Tate brothers left Henri Coanda International Airport in Bucharest at 4:00 GMT, on its way to Fort Lauderdale, the Tate brothers face rape and human trafficking charges in Romania and potential extradition to Britain, their sudden departure plunges the legal cases against them in a state of uncertainty. It is also a major diplomatic victory for President Donald Trump that will be cheered by Maga loyalists in the United States and their allies across the globe. The Tate brothers are enthusiastic Trump supporters. Their lawyer Paul Ingrassia works as a liaison to the US Department of Justice and echoes far-Right talking points about moral decay in Western countries. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has lent support to Andrew Tate's Britain Restoring Underlying Values Party, which seeks to undo the 'generational failure' of British early February, US officials and Trump's envoy Richard Grennell have urged the Romanian government to relax travel restrictions on the Tate brothers, who are US-UK dual citizens. These efforts have borne fruit. In addition to returning to the US, the Tate brothers have also regained access to a large portion of their arrested financial Romania, the exodus of the Tate brothers is a bitter pill to swallow. As rumours of Grenell's push for their release intensified, Romanian officials rushed to showcase their ability to withstand pressure from the Trump administration. Last week, Romanian Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu claimed that due process would prevail in the Romanian courts. Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu echoed Hurezeanu's comments and claimed that the US did not make any requests pertaining to the legal cases against the Tate humiliating climbdown is also a warning shot for other allies that might fall afoul of Trump's agenda. On December 6, the Romanian Constitutional Court cancelled presidential elections just two days before the final round of voting. This abrogation of the democratic process was justified by Russian interference on behalf of far-Right nationalist candidate Calin Georgescu, a fringe candidate who triumphed in the first round of the Romanian elections with 22.94 per cent of the the Romanian Constitutional Court's actions were deemed by many domestic and international observers as overly strident, they were not without merit. Georgescu's condemnation of Nato's ballistic missile shield system as a 'disgrace' and praise of President Vladimir Putin as a 'man who loves his country' earned him the Kremlin's backing. Russia's support caused videos of Georgescu to receive 52 million views in four days on Tik Tok through inorganic promotion mechanisms and triggered cyberattacks against Romanian these sovereignty violations, the Trump administration has viewed the Romanian legal system's actions against Georgescu to be unjustified. At the Munich Security Conference, Vice President JD Vance condemned Russian interference in the Romanian elections but also issued this stinging riposte: 'If your democracy can be destroyed by a few hundred thousand dollars of digital advertising from a foreign country, then it wasn't very strong to begin with.' With this statement, Romania became the unexpected poster child of Vance's criticisms of free expression crackdowns in Vance's comments, Romania upped the ante against Trump. Christian Diaconescu, the Romanian President's Chief of Staff, stirred controversy by claiming that Russia asked Trump to withdraw Nato forces from Eastern Europe. The Romanian authorities added kerosene to the flames by detaining Georgescu on February 26. Musk branded Romania's decision as 'messed up' and Maga influencer Jack Posobiec called the EU 'Fascist!'Given the frothing of bilateral tensions, Romania viewed the return of the Tate brothers as the most expedient way to restore goodwill. As Trump's tariffs on Canada and the EU loom, other US allies face similar hard choices to their counterparts in Bucharest. Some might follow incoming German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's push for defence autonomy from the US. Others might emulate Romania's path and cave under pressure. Canada's decision to launch Operation Blizzard against fentanyl and France's efforts to join the US in striking a deal for Ukrainian rare earth metals suggest that Romania's example is a more popular social media debates over the propriety of the Tate brothers return to the US will rage, Romania's decision symbolises Trump's ability to exercise his will over traditional US allies. An alarming message for Europe. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Romania's humiliating Andrew Tate climbdown is a warning to Europe
Kickboxer-turned-fugitive Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have fled Romania. A Gulfstream jet carrying the Tate brothers left Henri Coanda International Airport in Bucharest at 4:00 GMT, on its way to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. As the Tate brothers face rape and human trafficking charges in Romania and potential extradition to Britain, their sudden departure plunges the legal cases against them in a state of uncertainty. It is also a major diplomatic victory for President Donald Trump that will be cheered by Maga loyalists in the United States and their allies across the globe. The Tate brothers are enthusiastic Trump supporters. Their lawyer Paul Ingrassia works as a liaison to the US Department of Justice and echoes far-Right talking points about moral decay in Western countries. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has lent support to Andrew Tate's Britain Restoring Underlying Values Party, which seeks to undo the 'generational failure' of British politics. Since early February, US officials and Trump's envoy Richard Grennell have urged the Romanian government to relax travel restrictions on the Tate brothers, who are US-UK dual citizens. These efforts have borne fruit. In addition to returning to the US, the Tate brothers have also regained access to a large portion of their arrested financial assets. For Romania, the exodus of the Tate brothers is a bitter pill to swallow. As rumours of Grenell's push for their release intensified, Romanian officials rushed to showcase their ability to withstand pressure from the Trump administration. Last week, Romanian Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu claimed that due process would prevail in the Romanian courts. Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu echoed Hurezeanu's comments and claimed that the US did not make any requests pertaining to the legal cases against the Tate brothers. Romania's humiliating climbdown is also a warning shot for other allies that might fall afoul of Trump's agenda. On December 6, the Romanian Constitutional Court cancelled presidential elections just two days before the final round of voting. This abrogation of the democratic process was justified by Russian interference on behalf of far-Right nationalist candidate Calin Georgescu, a fringe candidate who triumphed in the first round of the Romanian elections with 22.94 per cent of the vote. While the Romanian Constitutional Court's actions were deemed by many domestic and international observers as overly strident, they were not without merit. Georgescu's condemnation of Nato's ballistic missile shield system as a 'disgrace' and praise of President Vladimir Putin as a 'man who loves his country' earned him the Kremlin's backing. Russia's support caused videos of Georgescu to receive 52 million views in four days on Tik Tok through inorganic promotion mechanisms and triggered cyberattacks against Romanian infrastructure. Despite these sovereignty violations, the Trump administration has viewed the Romanian legal system's actions against Georgescu to be unjustified. At the Munich Security Conference, Vice President JD Vance condemned Russian interference in the Romanian elections but also issued this stinging riposte: 'If your democracy can be destroyed by a few hundred thousand dollars of digital advertising from a foreign country, then it wasn't very strong to begin with.' With this statement, Romania became the unexpected poster child of Vance's criticisms of free expression crackdowns in Europe. After Vance's comments, Romania upped the ante against Trump. Christian Diaconescu, the Romanian President's Chief of Staff, stirred controversy by claiming that Russia asked Trump to withdraw Nato forces from Eastern Europe. The Romanian authorities added kerosene to the flames by detaining Georgescu on February 26. Musk branded Romania's decision as 'messed up' and Maga influencer Jack Posobiec called the EU 'Fascist!' Given the frothing of bilateral tensions, Romania viewed the return of the Tate brothers as the most expedient way to restore goodwill. As Trump's tariffs on Canada and the EU loom, other US allies face similar hard choices to their counterparts in Bucharest. Some might follow incoming German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's push for defence autonomy from the US. Others might emulate Romania's path and cave under pressure. Canada's decision to launch Operation Blizzard against fentanyl and France's efforts to join the US in striking a deal for Ukrainian rare earth metals suggest that Romania's example is a more popular course. While social media debates over the propriety of the Tate brothers return to the US will rage, Romania's decision symbolises Trump's ability to exercise his will over traditional US allies. An alarming message for Europe.
