Controversial social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate have arrived in the US after Romanian prosecutors agreed to let the pair leave the country in a surprise move - three years after their arrest on allegations of rape, trafficking minors and money laundering.

The private jet the brothers flew in on touched down at Fort Lauderdale late on Thursday morning after a 12-hour flight.

Speaking shortly after landing, Andrew Tate told reporters he and his brother were "largely misunderstood" and insisted the accusations were all essentially a conspiracy against him and that he didn't do anything wrong.

Their arrival came as a surprise to Florida Governor Ron De Santis, who said he was not told they were coming and that he only learned of the news through the media. The governor, who challenged Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican primaries, added that the state was "not a place where [they] are welcome".

It's not yet clear why they were allowed to leave, or if the US played a role in the decision, but a lawyer representing four alleged victims in the UK told the BBC that Donald Trump's administration is "interfering in due process". Trump told reporters he knows nothing about their release.

Romanian prosecutors said the case against the Tates was not closed and that they expected the brothers to return to the country. Tate declined to say if he would return to Romania, though his lawyer said the brothers planned to travel to the country at the end of March to meet prosecutors.

The lawyer added that the election of Donald Trump as president was the primary reason the brothers, who are dual US-UK citizens, now felt safe to make America their home again.

We're closing our live coverage for now. For more on this story, read our article:

• Tate brothers arrive in US after Romania prosecutors lift travel ban

Andrew Tate has previously described himself as "absolutely a misogynist" - or to put it simply, someone who has a hatred, dislike or prejudice against women, according to the Oxford English Dictionary.

The influencer has also long been criticised for the effect he has had in spreading misogyny online among boys and young men by authorities in the UK.

In an interview with a fellow YouTuber, he said: "I'm a realist and when you're a realist, you're sexist. There's no way you can be rooted in reality and not be sexist."

In that same video, he described women as "intrinsically lazy" and said there was "no such thing as an independent female".

The "primary" reason the Tate brothers feel safe to return to the United States is that "Donald Trump is the president", according to a statement from their lawyer.

"As a result, they are excited to call America their home again," Joseph McBride says, adding that they "plan to return to Romania at the end of March to meet the prosecutor before returning to the United States".

As we reported earlier, the US president says he knows nothing about the brothers' release.

McBride reiterates that the brothers, who are dual US-UK citizens, have long "maintained their innocence" in the charges they face in Romania.

He also echoes the brothers' claim that they have been a target of "legal persecution" and will work with investigators worldwide "to expose and bring to justice those who have weaponised legal systems against their opponents".

Kayla Epstein
US reporter

We’re still learning about the circumstances surrounding the Tate brothers’ return to the US.

But so is Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, who said he "found out through the media".

It is unusual that the leader of the state – or his attorney general – would not have been informed or involved in such a situation, especially as it involves figures facing criminal charges. DeSantis has said he and the state’s top law enforcement official would explore ways to push back.

The BBC has reported that Donald Trump’s US special envoy, Richard Grenell, raised the matter of the Tate brothers to a Romanian official at the Munich Security Conference earlier this month. Trump, however, said today he knew nothing about their release.

There are longstanding tensions between DeSantis and Trump. Both anchor their political circle in Florida – DeSantis in the capital of Tallahassee, and Trump at Mar-a-Lago in West Palm Beach.

DeSantis unsuccessfully challenged Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination. At one point it got personal, with Trump labeling DeSantis “Ron DeSanctimonious” on the campaign trail.

A rift is forming again over the matter of who should succeed DeSantis as governor in the 2026 election. The governor has talked up his wife and close adviser Casey DeSantis. But Trump has backed Florida Congressman Byron Donalds, who has not yet announced a campaign.

Speaking to reporters just now, US President Donald Trump says he knows nothing about the Tate brothers being released from Romania.

Earlier we reported on the White House's links to the pair.

There has been speculation that Washington has put pressure on Romanian authorities to allow the brothers to travel to America.

Kayla Epstein
US reporter

A debate about the Tate brothers has been playing out between conservative commentators following today's developments.

In a discussion on X, Ben Shapiro, the founder of The Daily Wire and a prominent conservative commentator, described the Tate brothers as “self-proclaimed pimps and pornographers who openly support terrorism".

He previously said Andrew Tate “preaches the virtue of treating women in a way that you would never ever allow anyone to treat your wife or your daughter.”

One of Shapiro’s colleagues, Jeremy Boreing, wrote that “Andrew Tate is the enemy of any traditional American conservatism.” He went on to criticise any conservatives who would embrace the self-described misogynist.

But Auron MacIntyre, who hosts a podcast with conservative digital outlet The Blaze, disagreed with that approach. He posted on X that Tate was “terrible but turning him into some form of litmus test [for conservatives] is a mistake and plays directly into his hands".

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from Fort Lauderdale

When trying to get answers from the Tate brothers a few minutes ago, I tried to ask Andrew Tate if he would commit to going back to Romania and if he gave any assurances that he would return.

But he didn't answer those questions.

He came out defiantly and told reporters here not to believe the "media spin", maintaining he did nothing wrong, before the brothers got in their waiting vehicle and sped away.

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from Fort Lauderdale

We just heard from Andrew Tate as he was departing a private terminal in Fort Lauderdale.

The brothers declined to answer my questions about their release and Trump's role in them being allowed into the US.

Instead, Andrew Tate delivered his message about everyone being innocent until proven guilty.

He then began sharing some of his more controversial talking points, saying the accusations were all essentially a conspiracy against him and that he didn't do anything wrong.

Some more now from Andrew Tate speaking outside the airport.

“We live in a democratic society where it’s innocent until proven guilty and I think my brother and I are largely misunderstood," he says.

"There’s a lot of opinions about us, a lot of things that got around about us on the internet," he says.

"We’ve yet to be convicted of any crime in our lives ever."

Watch as the two deplane after landing in Florida below.

Andrew Tate tells journalists that Romanian prosecutors decided that "because we have no active indictment in court, to let us go and return".

"This is a democratic society", he says, where you are "innocent until proven guilty".

He says there is a need to stop "media spin", "smears" and "lies" from "trying to destroy the reputations of good people".

You can watch Tate's comments below.

We've just seen Andrew and Tristan Tate emerge from the airport's private terminal.

Andrew Tate briefly spoke to the press.

We'll bring you his comments shortly.

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from Fort Lauderdale

While we wait for the Tate brothers to emerge from customs in the private terminal of the airport, it is worth noting some of the reaction here in Florida.

The state’s governor, Republican Ron DeSantis, said he had no advanced notice that they were flying in here.

“No, Florida is not a place where you’re welcome with that type of conduct,” DeSantis told reporters at an unrelated press conference.

Andrew and Tristan Tate say the allegations against them are false and they are innocent.

The governor added, however, that it’s ultimately up to the Trump administration to decide whether to rebuff the brothers' entry.

There are a few people looking over this way to see what’s happening.

Inside, we can see a few private security personnel in black suits, sunglasses with beards who we assume are with the Tates. There’s also a black Cadillac Escalade parked, perhaps waiting to take the brothers out of the airport.

Image source, EPA

As we've mentioned, a spokeswoman for the Tates says a number of their assets, including properties and cars, have been returned to the brothers by Romanian authorities.

In January 2023, Romanian authorities seized more than 18m lei (£2.98m) in money and assets from the Tates.

In a statement at the time, the country's Asset Recovery and Management Agency, external said it had taken "29 moveable assets" including luxury watches and cars, as well as "several sums of money" in Romanian lei, euros, British pounds, and US dollars.

Video shared by the news agency Reuters, external shows authorities taking a number of high-value sports cars.

As we've been reporting, it appears some items seized by authorities are being returned to the brothers.

Image source, EPA

Kayla Epstein
US reporter

We asked Florida Governor Ron DeSantis's office if they were aware that the Tate brothers would be brought to the state, whether his office was involved in the effort, and whether he had an official response.

"We had no involvement in them coming here," deputy press secretary Molly Best responded.

DeSantis, who ran against Trump in the 2024 Republican Primary, later told local reporters that he was not notified the pair were coming to his state.

"The reality is, Florida is not a place where you are welcome, with that type of conduct in the air," DeSantis said. "I don’t know how it came to this."

DeSantis said Florida's attorney general is looking at what legal options the state has.

"I found out through the media that this was something that was happening," DeSantis said.

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from Fort Lauderdale

I’m here with a number of other press outlets at the private terminal, Sheltair, at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International airport, where we are waiting to see if the Tate brothers will speak.

There’s also a security officer here from the sheriff’s office and a press helicopter trying to grab images of the runway.

We’ll bring you the latest from here.

The UK's opposition party, the Conservatives, have said the US should make the Tates "face our justice system".

"We have an extradition treaty with them and they need to cooperate fully," shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick says in a post on X.

In March last year, a Romanian court ruled the brothers could be extradited to the UK to face allegations of rape and human trafficking, once their trial in Romania on human trafficking charges had concluded.

The Tate Brothers deny the allegations against them.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is meeting US President Donald Trump in Washington later today. Earlier, Starmer's office declined to say whether he would raise the issue of the Tate brothers leaving Romania.

The Tate brothers have landed safely at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, the brothers' media representative has just confirmed.

We've just seen distant footage of what appears to be Andrew and Tristan Tate leaving the jet at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

As a reminder, the plane set off from Romania a little over 12 hours ago.

Image source, Reuters

This is the plane we've been tracking from Romania, which has now landed in Fort Lauderdale.

We're expecting to see the Tates leave the plane soon.

Remember - you can watch our coverage live at the top of the page.

Image source, Reuters

A plane which we have been told is carrying the Tate brothers has now landed at an airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

We've been looking on flight tracking websites like FlightRadar24 and ADS-B Exchange and since the early hours of this morning only one private jet has taken off from Romania and flown west over the Atlantic.

We'll bring you more as we get it.