A published photo seems to show that the "imprisoned" princess Latifa is well and safe. It should be noted, however, that according to international media, the authenticity of the photo has not been confirmed, although at first glance it seems to be true.
The disappearance of Princess Latifa, the daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and governor of Dubai, had shocked the world as she claimed in a video that she was being held captive against her will.
The photo depicting smiling Princess Latifa sitting with two other women in a mall was posted on Instagram.
View this post on Instagram
According to the Mirror, it was not possible to verify whether the photo was real or recent. The photo, in fact, seems to be inverted if one pays attention to the advertisement on the back.
Masks appear to be on the table, which means the photo could have been taken during the coronavirus pandemic. However, a Skynews report claims that the photo may be valid and must have been taken at the Mall of Emirates.
The user who posted the photo on Instagram writes in the caption "Wonderful night at MoE with friends", without naming or "tagging" the princess.
"I am a prisoner of my sheikh father in a prison villa"
She was born into wealth, but a failed escape attempt led to her captivity. Princess Latifa bin Mohammed al-Maktoum, who, in an attempt to escape the torture - as she has complained - of the Sheikh's father Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and governor of Dubai, decided in 2018 to leave the royal family.
The 34-year-old was planning for seven years to escape from this "golden prison", according to her friends. But a few days after her escape attempt, gunmen snatched her from a yacht, 30 miles off India, and returned her to her father.
Speaking in public for the first time in three years, the 34-year-old princess describes herself as a "hostage" of her father and is shown via video the dramatic attempt to escape in 2018 by jet ski and a boat, which eventually resulted in her violent repatriation .
The Indian authorities gave her directly back to her billionaire father, who promised her that "she will never see the sun again".
In the video, Princess Latifah says: "I am a hostage. And this villa has been turned into a prison. All the windows are closed. "
"There are five police officers outside and two inside. I can't even go outside to get some fresh air. "Basically, I am a hostage," he said.
How it exploded
In 2014, the princess met Tina Yauhiainen when she went to teach Brazilian capoeira martial arts at a royal residence. She described to the BBC that she became one of Latifa's closest friends, dived together and became a key figure in planning the escape, as she regularly left the country to meet Zuber to sort out the details.
Her attempt to break it started when the two of them met early one day for breakfast, something they had done many times before, in order not to arouse the suspicions of her bodyguards.
Latifa changed her clothes and sunglasses and with Yauhyainen crossed the border with Oman by road and headed for the sea. This was followed by a difficult journey of 26 miles by inflatable boat and jet ski, in international territorial waters, where Zuber was waiting on a yacht. The boat had an American flag, as they hoped that any attempt to stop them would turn into an incident of international interest, as they planned to go to Goa, India.
"The waves were about 1,5 meters and the wind was against, so it took us several hours to get to the yacht," Yauhiainen told the BBC.
The rapture
When they arrived on the boat, Latifa contacted Detained in Dubai, as well as journalists, hoping that the publication of the issue would be a protection measure. However, he did not find a response. "She emailed reporters and no one answered. "No one seemed to believe her, so she was desperate, wondering who would help her because she knew she would be chased at any moment," Yauhiainen described.
According to the BBC documentary, a few days later the yacht was raided and Latifa was abducted.
via: e-Daily