Dubai's missing Sheikha Latifa appears in photo taken at UAE mall
BBC confirmed with friends of the missing princess that the two women presented in the photograph are in fact "acquainted" with Latifa.
By ZACHARY KEYSERUpdated: MAY 22, 2021 20:14United Arab Emirates' Sheikha Latifa al-Maktoum listens to the national anthem after winning the Dubai Grand Prix Show Jumping Championship over 1.50 m fences on her mount Peanuts De Beaufour February 2, 2013. (photo credit: MARTIN DOKOUPIL/REUTERS)
A photo has been circulating around the internet that has a number of British broadcasters speculating that Princess Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, one of the daughters of the ruler of Dubai, is alive and unharmed after months of uncertainty surrounding her well-being.Latifa, 35, seemingly fell off the map after BBC Panorama broadcast a video message in February that she recorded from a bathroom stating that she was being held captive in a barricaded villa.Since then, the United Nations and Britain both called on the UAE to show undeniable proof that Latifa was still alive and well after it was feared her life could be in danger for casting a new spotlight on her father's, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, tempestuous family affairs.The photo in question, which would show proof of life, comes from a private Instagram account belonging to the user lyndabouchikhi. In the photo, two women could be seen pictured on either side of Latifa smiling within the Mall of the Emirates (MoE) in Dubai, with the caption: "Lovely evening at MoE with friends."Behind the photo reads a marquee that advertises the movie Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, a film that was released in the UAE on May 13 of this year. If legitimate, the movie advertisement gives an idea of when the photo was taken, being that in the last week-and-a-half.The photo, posted on May 20, could not be independently verified by any of the broadcasters, and there is no way of determining when the photograph was taken. However, the image is thought to be genuine and also not of a random occurrence, by both Sky News and the BBC.BBC confirmed with friends of the missing princess that the two women presented in the photograph are in fact "acquainted" with Latifa.In February, following the video's publication, the embassy of the United Arab Emirates in London said Latifa, one of the ruler of Dubai’s daughters, was being cared for at home, adding that media coverage does not reflect the true situation.“Her family has confirmed that Her Highness is being cared for at home, supported by her family and medical professionals. She continues to improve and we are hopeful she will return to public life at the appropriate time,” the statement said.In the video, shown as part of the BBC’s Panorama current affairs program, Latifa said: “I am a hostage and this villa has been converted into a jail. All the windows are barred shut, I can’t open any window.”She said she was making the video in the bathroom of the villa, the only room she could lock herself into.“Every day I worry about my safety and my life,” she said in the video message.She said guards had told her she would be kept in captivity for her entire life and “never see the sun again."Appearing alert and speaking calmly, Latifa said in the video that there were police officers stationed outside and inside the villa. “I just want to be free,” she added.
The daughter of #Dubai's ruler says she is being held captive and fears for her life after a failed attempt to flee.Sheikha #Latifa has not been seen in public since she attempted to escape from the #UAE by sea in March 2018.@bsquinn reports ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/FT2eRzrCOo
Latifa tried to flee Dubai in 2018 in a dingy, but was captured and brought back by commando units off the coast of India and taken back to Dubai. Emirati authorities claimed at the time that she was "vulnerable to exploitation" and was "now safe in Dubai."A British judge ruled in January 2020, that the Dubai ruler had abducted Latifa - just as he had her elder sister Shamsa from England almost two decades earlier - and subjected her to inhuman treatment.Her mother, Princess Haya Bint al-Hussein, one of the wives of Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum and daughter of the late King Hussein of Jordan, left her husband for fear of her life as she was preparing for an ongoing court battle with the Sheikh.Haya is believed to be hiding in London. She reportedly fled to Germany before heading to the United Kingdom in order to escape her restrictive life in the United Arab Emirates.She married the Dubai ruler at the age of 30, becoming his sixth wife at the time - he is reported to have at fathered at least 23 children spread throughout his marriages.Haya has claimed that she nor her family have "freedom of choice" in their lives and that she has become a victim of abuse, brought upon by the Dubai ruler.Latifa released a video expressing the same sentiments just before she set off on what was meant to be her great escape in 2018, leaving the message behind as a sort of contingency plan if her mission proved to be unsuccessful."Pretty soon, I'm going to be leaving somehow and I'm not so sure of the outcome, but I'm 99% sure it will work," Latifa said in the video. "And if it doesn't then this video can help me because all my father cares about is his reputation."He will kill people to protect his own reputation. He only cares about himself and his ego," she explained. "So, this video could save my life."And if you are watching this video, it's not such a good thing either," she concludes. "I'm either dead or I'm in a very very very bad situation."Reuters contributed to this report.
