Livestreamer Adin Ross made comments that allegedly contributed to the arrest of influencer Andrew Tate on Monday, according to the law firm representing Tate’s accusers.
Ross, who is known to be a close friend of Tate’s, shared a message during his stream on Kick last week that Tate was planning on leaving Romania soon and did not plan to return, reports NBC News.
The words implied Tate may have been planning to flee Romania prior to his upcoming trial, in which he’s facing rape and human trafficking charges stemming from a 2023 arrest.
“Andrew had hit me up. He said, ‘Hey, I’m gonna be leaving Romania soon, and probably never coming back. If you want to come over and do a week of long streams and content before I leave, I think it’ll be big,’” Ross shared during his livestream. “He said, ‘It’s basically now or never.’”
Tate, 37, and his 35-year-old brother, Tristan, were originally detained in December 2022 and spent three months in jail before being released on bail.
Now, the brothers are back in handcuffs, after being hit with a U.K. warrant on new allegations of rape and sexual assault, which are in addition to the previous charges.
Andrew Tate — a self-described misogynist influencer, who boasts nearly 9 million followers on X — has adamantly denied all allegations against him and his brother.
Tate’s spokesperson, Mateea Petrescu, told NBC News that his client had not been planning on fleeing Romania, and his messages to Ross had been misunderstood.
“We believe this rumor has originated from a popular online influencer who misconstrued a text message from our clients while streaming live. There is simply no truth to it,” Petrescu said.
Ross, a 23-year-old who rose to prominence through his video game streaming, has been a consistent supporter of Tate’s, previously tweeting at President Joe Biden, encouraging him to issue a pardon for his fellow influencer.
