Dubai Princess Claims Her Father Is Holding Her Hostage In Leaked Videos
Princess Latifa al Maktoum, one of the daughters of Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has recorded a series of videos in which she refers to herself as a “hostage” and appeals for help. The clips, which were reportedly smuggled out of the emirate, also mark the first time the princess has spoken about her escape attempt in 2018, which ended in her capture.
“I’m a hostage. And this villa has been converted into a jail. All the windows are barred shut,” the princess said in one clip obtained by The Daily Mail.
“There’s five policemen outside and two policewomen inside. I can’t even go out to get fresh air. So basically, I’m a hostage,” she repeated.
In addition to describing her living conditions, Latifa also spoke about her attempt to leave royal life nearly three years ago. Though the princess was able to escape the country by using a combination of jet skis and private yachts, she was eventually captured off the coast of Goa in Western India.
“‘I kept saying you can’t take me back,” she said. “I want asylum and we’re in international waters. You can’t kidnap me. They were just on a mission and they were given orders,” she described.
Latifa added that she attempted to fight off one of her captors by biting his arm; in response, she was zip-tied and later tranquilized.
Latifa said that by the time she woke up, she was on a private jet that had already landed back in Dubai. The princess said the realization made her “really sad” since she had been working on a plan to escape her native country for years.
Moreover, she confessed that she knew she would be facing severe repercussions for her actions.
“They want me to break and they… threatened me that I’ll be in prison my whole life and I’ll never see the sun again,” Latifa said of her guards. She also added that authorities were hoping to use her for propaganda purposes.
Today is day 396 since Princess Latifa was dragged off her escape boat at gunpoint, beaten and dragged back to Dubai for the crime of wanting to live her own life and go to medical school. She's been held ever since, completely cut off from the world. #FreeLatifa #BoycottDubai pic.twitter.com/mtLDl1wlIy
— Lisa Bloom (@LisaBloom) April 5, 2019
Sheikh Mohammed and the Dubai Royal Court have maintained that Latifa is safe and staying with her family.
Latifa is not the only family member to have fled the sheikh. As was previously covered by The Inquisitr, his sixth wife, Princess Haya, fled in July 2019 after spending a year preparing for the plot. She is currently believed to be hiding in the United Kingdom with their two children.
It was rumored at the time that Latifa’s treatment was part of Haya’s motivation to leave.
