Dubai Ruler's Daughter Sheikha Latifa Says She Fears For Life As Held Hostage

In one of the mobile recordings Sheikha Latifa can be seen saying she is a hostage and the villa has been converted into a jail where five policemen are vigilant outside and two policewomen inside the house.

This file handout photo provided by United Arab Emirates News Agency (WAM) on December 24, 2018 shows Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum (L) having a meal with Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland, at the Latifa's home in Dubai. The daughter of Dubai's ruler says she is being held captive and fears for her life after a foiled attempt to flee the emirate, according to new footage aired by the BBC on February 16, 2021. Sheikha Latifa has not been seen in public since an attempted escape by sea in March 2018. She is seen crouched in a corner of what she says is a bathroom, in clips that the BBC said were filmed around a year after she was captured and returned. PIC/AFP

In yet another startling video, the daughter of Dubai's ruler whose attempt to flee was foiled three years back has once again tried to call for her safety as she is being held captive. The BBC footage broadcasted on Tuesday is said to be made around a year ago after Sheikha Latifa was captured and returned to Dubai. She can be seen sitting in a corner of what she says is a bathroom. Also Read: MP Bus Accident: 47 Dead As Rescue Operation Halts; PM & CM Announce Ex-Gratia

Sheikha Latifa didn’t appear in public since her failed attempt to escape from the Emirate by sea in 2018.

What is revealed in the videos?

The daughter of Dubai's ruler in one of the mobile video can be seen saying “I'm a hostage and this villa has been converted into a jail. There are five policemen stationed outside and two policewomen inside the house. Everyday I fear for my safety and my life."

While in the other undated video she described the situation saying she is "getting more desperate every day". "I don't want to be a hostage in this jail villa. I just want to be free," she says, as per AFP report. The UK-based news channel released the video excerpts ahead of its investigative news programme Panorama. British broadcaster Sky News reported that it had also received the videos but wasn't able to reach out to Latifa for the last nine months. The videos have been reported that the videos to the United Nations by her friends. Also, her friends have claimed that they are no longer receiving secret messages from her, the BBC said.

Why did she flee?

Latifa's is daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum. Rashid Al-Maktoum is vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, of which Dubai is a constituent.

He is popular for breeding racing horses with Queen Elizabeth II in which both have been photographed together. The videos apparently were forwarded by Latifa's Finnish friend, Tiina Jauhiainen had accompanied Latifa during her escape attempt.

The BBC claimed it had independently verified the details of where Latifa was held. In 2018, Latifa tried to flee the UAE on a boat that was then intercepted by commandos off the Indian coast, according to her companions and the UK-based group reportedly detained in Dubai.

Latifa said she was held for approximately three months in the Al-Awir central prison in Dubai, until May 2018, before being moved to the villa. As per reports, when she ran away she made a 40 min video accusing her father of ill treatment and many other crimes.