Social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate will fight extradition to the United Kingdom, where the brothers are accused of rape and sex trafficking, their lawyer said Monday, claiming their arrest in Miami was politically motivated. The Tates appeared in federal court Monday for the first time since their arrest on Saturday and are being held in federal detention, the AP reports. In the coming weeks, a US district judge will consider whether they meet the conditions for extradition. US Magistrate Lauren Louis set another hearing for Monday, July 27.
The brothers, normally photographed in tailored suits and fitted shirts, wore tan jail uniforms and handcuffs during the brief hearing. An attorney for the brothers, Joseph McBride, insisted they should remain in the US. "We are of course objecting to extradition because Andrew and Tristan are innocent, McBride said after the hearing. "They've never done nothing wrong. They shouldn't be extradited for crimes they did not commit."
- The brothers were surprised when they were arrested, McBride said, claiming that the attempt to have them extradited was politically motivated. "There's no question about it, "he told reporters.
- He suggested the case "had a lot to do with" former British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's decision to step down and said it was no coincidence that the brothers were arrested after meeting "friends in Washington, DC." "We went to see our Congress people in DC and now we're getting arrested. This feels political," McBride said. On Sunday, McBride said he was confident the extradition request would be denied.
- Prosecutors in Britain said the new charges relate to four new victims and were brought after authorities received evidence from Bedfordshire Police in southeastern England. The allegations, spanning 2010 to 2017, include rape, assault, trafficking, and offenses relating to "indecent images of a child and extreme pornography." The brothers are already charged with rape, bodily harm, human trafficking, and controlling prostitution for gain relating to three other alleged victims in the UK between 2012 and 2015.
- Their lawyer said in a statement Saturday that he believed the arrests were "greenlighted by a low-level functionary" at the Justice Department without input from leadership. But the Justice Department told the AP that the arrests were approved by leadership of its Criminal Division.
- The new allegations are the latest in a long-running international legal saga involving the Tates that has spanned the US, Britain, and Romania. The brothers have repeatedly denied wrongdoing. Their social media empire promoting wealth, male dominance, and misogyny has made them among the world's most polarizing internet personalities.
- McBride said Monday that the brothers are being held in a 5-foot-by-12-foot cell in Miami, USA Today reports. "Solitary confinement is torture," the lawyer said. "We're working to get them out of there as soon as possible." He said that because the case is being handled as an extradition case, not a criminal complaint, bail is not a possibility.
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