Andrew Tate and brother arrive at court on human trafficking charges

Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have arrived at a Romanian court after being charged over allegations of human trafficking and forming an organised crime group.

The brothers, who are both dual UK-US nationals, had been under house arrest in the country for months during a police investigation.

The controversial influencer, who denies the allegations, appeared in good spirits as he was photographed with his brother arriving at the Bucharest Tribunal.

Andrew Tate (right) walks between bodyguards together with his brother Tristan (third from left) arriving at the Bucharest Tribunal. / Credit: AP

According to a translation of a statement released on Tuesday, the prosecutors said there were seven female alleged victims, including some who were “misled” by “false claims of marriage and love.”

Two unnamed Romanian nationals have also been under house arrest alongside the brothers.

Following Tuesday’s charge, Tate wrote on Twitter: “Men. This isn’t about me. This isn’t about whether you like me or not. This is about all of us. Today it’s me. Tomorrow it’s you. Nobody is safe from these lies.”

A file has been sent to a court in Bucharest, prosecutors said on Tuesday as they announced the charges.

The DIICOT law enforcement agency in Romania said in a statement after the brothers’ December arrests it had identified victims in the human trafficking case who were allegedly subjected to “acts of physical violence and mental coercion” and sexually exploited by members of the group.

The agency alleged victims were lured with pretenses of “love” and later intimidated, which it dubbed “the loverboy method.”

DIICOT alleged victims were placed under surveillance and subjected to other control tactics while being coerced into engaging in pornographic acts for the financial gain of the group.

Andrew Tate walks between bodyguards as he arrives at the Bucharest Tribunal, in Romania. / Credit: AP

Tate, a former professional kickboxer who has lived in Romania since 2017, has previously denied all allegations of abuse and trafficking.

In recent years the 36-year-old has become a hugely successful social media figure with more than 6 million Twitter followers, many of them young men and schoolchildren.

He previously was banned from TikTok, YouTube and Facebook for hate speech and his misogynistic comments, including that women should bear responsibility for getting sexually assaulted.