Posted by 
Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have left Romania on a private plane headed for the United States, according to press reports.
Andrew Tate, a far-right influencer who espouses misogynistic views on his podcast, was arrested with his brother near Bucharest in December 2022; prosecutors subsequently initiated a trial of the pair on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.
Both Tate brothers were required to remain on Romania’s territory, but prosecutors later lifted the travel ban. The Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) issued a statement clarifying some aspects of the case “as a result of the interest shown by the media representatives,” but did not say when the ban was lifted.
Early on Thursday a private jet monitored by the BBC left Bucharest international airport and according to Flightradar flew over the Atlantic Ocean toward Florida.
DIICOT said they had accepted a request from the Tate brothers to be allowed to leave the country, but insisted the two men are still under investigation in Romania and are under “judicial control,” meaning they must return to Romania in March, the agency said.
The decision was confirmed by Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, who said the United States had applied no pressure to allow the brothers to leave.
Earlier press reports claimed that U.S. officials had raised the case with the Romanian government. Although Romania’s foreign minister confirmed that the matter had been discussed with Trump’s special envoy Richard Grenell, he denied the American side had pressured Romania to lift the restrictions on Andrew Tate.
