Dubai princess Sheikha Latifa ‘missing’ after alleged kidnapping from yacht

DUBAI faces mounting pressure to reveal what happened to princess who was allegedly kidnapped from a luxury boat by armed men.

A FRIEND of a Dubai princess whose disappearance sparked global headlines has revealed details of the moment she was allegedly kidnapped.

Tiina Jauhiainen, a close friend of Princess Latifa bin Mohammad al-Maktoum, told Human Rights Watch they were on-board a boat in Goa on March 4 which was stormed by armed men.

The Finnish woman and long-time Dubai resident, said men boarded the boat and began shouting “where’s Latifa?” before forcing them all off the vessel.

Sheikha Latifa disappeared while on holiday in Goa two months ago and was reportedly attempting to claim asylum at the time.

In a video, which emerged on March 11, the woman who claims to be Sheikha Latifaher, reveals her reasons for fleeing.

In the YouTube video she said how this was “the start of me claiming my life, my freedom”.

She goes on to say how she is one of Sheik Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s 30 children, and details what everyday life is like in the ruling elite.

Born to an Algerian mother, Horriya Ahmed, Sheikha Latifa said that she had tried to escape in previous years.

She said her older sister also fled because she was “not allowed to make choices for her future”.

The girls were “denied choices which some people would take for granted” including driving a car and coming and going as they pleased.

Their father is ruler of Dubai and the Prime Minister of the UAE.

Sheikha Latifa revealed what life was like in the ruling family. Picture: YouTube

Sheikha Latifa, 32, reportedly vanished alongside French-American Herve Jaubert and instructed her US-based lawyer to circulate the video in the event of her death or disappearance.

Ms Jauhiainen told HRW the woman in the video was the princess, revealing ID cards and certificates which were taken out of the UAE.

A source close to the Dubai government said the runaway princess had been returned to the emirate.

“What I can confirm is they took her and she was brought back,” the source told AFP by phone two weeks ago.

‘GUNFIRE, INTERROGATION’

Ms Jauhiainen told HRW she was below deck on the boat with Sheikha Latifa when they heard gunfire.

The women locked themselves in a bathroom before the cabin was filled with gas, forcing them out.

She said several men then boarded their boat, pointed guns at her, forced her to the ground, and tied her hands behind her back while shooting “Who is Latifa?”

Despite her saying she was claiming asylum the princess was taken in the raid which Ms Jauhiainen said included members of the Indian Coast Guard.

Along with the crew, Ms Jauhiainen, Mr Jaubert and the boat were taken back to the UAE before being transferred to a government vessel.

Ms Jauhiainen claims she was interrogated and threatened before being asked to do a videotaped a confession of crimes she didn’t commit and made.

She said she was also forced to sign documents she could not read or understand before being allowed to return to Finland on March 22.

Mr Jaubert was released around the same time.

A source close to the Dubai government confirmed last month that the Finnish woman and two French men, one with dual US citizenship, participated in the escape attempt and were wanted in Dubai on previous charges.

“It is a domestic issue that transformed into a soap opera that transformed into a rampaging scheme to tarnish the reputation of Dubai and Sheikh Mohammed,” the source said.

Crown Prince of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has 30 children.

‘WHERE IS SHE?’

Human Rights Watch this week called on the ruling family to explain exactly where Sheikha Latifa is.

The rights group also fear the princess is being forced to stay against her will.

HRW said the failure to disclose the whereabouts and status of the princess could qualify as an enforced disappearance “given evidence suggests UAE authorities were detaining her”.

Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said authorities should reveal her whereabouts and allow her to have contact with the outside world.

“If she is detained she needs to be given the rights all detainees should have, including being taken before an independent judge,” Ms Whitson said.

Sheikha Latifa, who told friends that she wished to flee restrictions imposed by her family, has not been seen or heard from for two months,” HRW reveal.

That raised “serious concerns about her safety and wellbeing, two friends said”.

Latifa’s cause has been taken up by a UK-based group called Detained in Dubai.

The group said Latifa tried to flee Dubai by ship, but the vessel was intercepted on March 4 less than 80 kilometres off the coast of India.

— with AFP