ANDREW TATE and his brother leave Romania for US after TRUMP pressured for lift of travel restrictions amid trafficking case

Thursday, February 27, 2025 - British American online influencers, Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan Tate, who are under criminal investigation in Romania, have reportedly left the country after the Trump administration pressured officials to lift the travel restrictions imposed on them amid their ongoing s£x trafficking case.

The brothers boarded the flight on Thursday morning, according to the person, who asked not to be named because of the sensitive nature of the matter, News.Az reports, citing The New York Times.

They are believed to have left the country by private jet, with sources adding that the brothers are heading to the US state of Florida on their US passports after the documents were returned to them by Romanian authorities.

This comes after officials from the Trump administration earlier this month pressured Romanian authorities to lift travel restrictions on self-described misogynist influencer Tate and his brother Tristan as they face criminal charges in the country. 

The pair, who are joint US and UK nationals, were arrested in 2022 on charges of human trafficking, s£xual misconduct, money laundering and forming an organised crime group. They have denied any wrongdoing.

US officials raised their case with Bucharest in a phone call in early February before following up with a meeting between Trump's special envoy Richard Grenell and the Romanian foreign minister, sources reportedly told the Financial Times.

Another insider told the newspaper that a request had been made to return the brothers' passports and allow them to travel while they await the conclusion of their court proceedings.

The brothers' movements have been restricted since their 2022 arrest - spending three months in police detention, before being put under house arrest and then being prevented from leaving the country.

The two men also face charges including accusations of rape and human trafficking in the UK, and a court in Bucharest has ruled that they can be extradited to Britain once a final decision is reached in their case in Romania.

The Romanian special prosecutor's service (DIICOT) investigating the Tate brothers said in a statement that the case against the two has not been dropped.

The brothers will have to return to Romania at a later date, which the BBC understands to be at the end of March, according to journalist Nick Thorpe, who is currently in Bucharest.