Will the Tate brothers be extradited from the US to the UK?

A US Department of Justice spokesperson said the arrests were “pursuant to extradition proceedings”.

The UK and the US are parties to a treaty that allows the extradition of people in relation to alleged offences punishable under laws in both countries by at least one year in prison.

For a UK case, the CPS prepares a request which is certified by a judge. The final request is sent to be considered by the Home Office, which then forwards the extradition request to the relevant state through usual diplomatic channels.

The decision to accept the extradition request is taken by the US State Department. The request will then be considered by the US courts, with a final decision made by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Appearing in a federal courtroom in Miami on Monday, the pair wore light brown prison uniforms and were handcuffed and shackled at the waist and ankles.

They spoke only when asked if they understood their rights to which they replied together “yes your honour”.

The brothers’ attorney, Joe McBride, told reporters after the brief hearing that his clients are innocent.

“They’ve never done nothing wrong. They shouldn’t be extradited for crimes they didn’t commit,” McBride said.

“It’s garbage. It’s a stitch up job,” he added.

He compared the charges against the men to the legal proceedings against US President Donald Trump – which he called a “witch hunt” – and referred to the attempted extradition as “political kidnapping”.

When asked how long the extradition proceedings would take, McBride estimated ahead of the hearing that it would be “around 60 days”.