Latifa bint Muhammad Al Maktum

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Latifa Al Maktum (2018)

Princess Latifa bint Muhammad Al Maktum (born December 5, 1985 ) is a member of the dynasty of Dubai . She is the daughter of the Prime Minister of the UAE , Sheikh Muhammad bin Raschid Al Maktum . Her mother comes from Algeria, her name is given either as Huriah Ahmed Alimarah or Hurya Ahmed Ma'ash.

Muhammad Al Maktum has at least 23 children, according to Latifa there are 30. Latifa (II) has an older (Latifa I) and a younger (Latifa III) half-sister. The older Latifa is married and often featured in the pro-government media on official occasions. Latifa (II) is the biological sister of Sheikha Maitha (1980), Sheikha Shamsa (1981) and Sheikh Majid (1987).

Life before trying to escape

Little is currently known to the public about Latifa's life prior to her attempted escape. Newspaper reports show that she was a successful skydiver. She took lessons from the former world champion Stefania Martinengo and has an AFF instructor rating.

In her 40-minute video, recorded in a secret location before the escape, Latifa gave insights into key moments in her life.

As a small child, she was taken away from her mother, whereupon she saw her older sister, Sheikha Shamsa, as her actual mother. When Shamsa ran away on vacation in Great Britain, Latifa wanted to help her. Shamsa was found, brought back to Dubai and severely punished for her disobedience. Latifa says Shamsa is guarded around the clock and sedated with medication. In fact, there were reports in the British Guardian in 2001 .

Latifa is said to have been held for 3 years and 4 months. Guards are said to have beaten her and declared that Muhammad bin Raschid Al Maktum wished her death. She is said to have only received portions of rice every day and to have been guarded around the clock. After her release, she is said to have had difficulty trusting people, which is why she is said to have dealt a lot with animals and finally discovered the sport for herself. She would have had a bad relationship with her family, as her mother allegedly accused her of damaging the family's reputation.

Latifa stated that she was not allowed to drive a car or have her passport. If she behaved "rebelliously", she was sedated . In addition, she makes serious allegations against her father. Behind his clever marketing, which presents Dubai as a modern city, is an unscrupulous person who is responsible for numerous murders, such as that of Bouchra, the Moroccan wife of his brother Sheikh Maktum.

Further information is not known from the video, but from witness statements. Latifa is said to have heard the story of Hervé Jaubert , a French-American ex-spy who fled Dubai. For eight years she forged a plan with him that culminated in her escape in February 2018. Part of her escape plan was the recording of the video. “In Dubai, like everywhere in the Middle East, the media is not free. If I can't get out of here alive, at least there will be a video. "

Escape attempt and life afterwards

Attempted escape

On February 24, 2018, Latifa Al Maktum and her Finnish trainer, Tiina Jauhiainen, crossed over to Oman. From there we went to the waiting yacht Nostromo using a jet ski. Hervé Jaubert was waiting there. The plan was to cross over to India and from there take a flight to the USA.

The abduction

On March 5, 2018, the Nostromo was surrounded by the Indian coast guard. At the same time, two speedboats with six to eight men approached. The hooded men were armed and forcibly stormed the boat. Latifa was dragged from her cabin and has been missing since then.

In April 2018, the FBI began investigating the Nostromo attack. The Nostromo sailed under the American flag, and Hervé Jaubert is an American citizen.

The witnesses

There are three witnesses: Hervé Jaubert , Tiina Jauhiaien and Christian Elombo.

Hervé Jaubert and Tiina Jauhiaien were held in an undisclosed location in Dubai and interrogated for up to 20 hours a day. According to their own statements, they were denied food and drink.

Jaubert was told he would die a slow death. He and Tiina weren't released until the video of Latifa hit the internet and the Daily Mail ran their first story.

When she was released, Jauhiaien was told not to speak to anyone about the story, as " Sheikh Muhammad can find you anywhere, including Europe."

Christian Elombo was arrested in Oman but released for lack of allegations. Elombo is currently stuck in Luxembourg, where Dubai wants to obtain an arrest warrant against him through Interpol. Detained in Dubai indicates that Dubai made a $ 56 million donation to Interpol.

The release campaign

Banner in Dubai: Where is Princess Latif
Banner in Dubai: Where is Princess Latif

The release campaign is led by the NGO Detained in Dubai . A website called EscapeFromDubai has been set up.

Detained in Dubai founder Radha Stirling is the last person Latifa was in contact with. On April 12, Radha Stirling, David Haigh, Toby Cadman, Hervé Jaubert and Tiina Jauhiaien held a public press conference.

Detained in Dubai is working with lawyers from the Guernica Group and is trying to initiate an initiative in Geneva through the United Nations for the missing Latifa.

The International Campaign for Freedom in the UAE supports the initiative.

Shahid Bolsen argues that Latifa must have suffered badly from her father's treatment. “90% of all children who run away from home come back voluntarily when parents sit down and talk to their children. That shows how much Latifa must have suffered ”.

United Arab Emirates Response

In the days after the witnesses were released, the eldest Latifa Al Maktum was increasingly featured in the media. However, there is no public statement from the UAE.

Instead, the sum of 56 million US dollars was promised to Interpol to "fight terrorism". A few days later, Interpol was commissioned to deliver Christian Elombo to Dubai.

Media reaction

The major international quality media initially held back with reporting. On April 13, 2018, more than a month after Detained went public in Dubai and contacted the media, there was only one article in the Times and Figaro . On April 20, 2018, the Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ.de) reported on the incident.

On December 6, 2018, articles about the disappearance of Latifa bint Muhammad appeared in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and a day later in Spiegel .

First presence after trying to escape

At the end of 2018, the BBC reported on a meeting between Latifa bint Muhammad, allegedly in a sedated state, with former Irish President and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson , who was visiting Dubai at the invitation of the then wife of the emir Haya bint al-Hussein .

Conviction of her father in his absence by the London High Court

The London High Court sentenced her father, Muhammad bin Raschid , in his absence in February 2020 for the kidnapping of Latifa and Shamsa Al Maktum , the torture of one of his daughters and the intimidation of Haya Bint al-Hussein.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 'Runaway princess': 'Daughter' of Dubai's ruler flees country . In: Mail Online . ( dailymail.co.uk [accessed April 13, 2018]).
  2. ↑ Lauren Streib: In Pictures: The 20 Hottest Young Royals . In: Forbes . ( forbes.com [accessed April 13, 2018]).
  3. ↑ a b Latifa Al Maktoum - Full Unedited Video - Escape from Dubai - Hervé Jaubert (from 0:00:47) on YouTube , March 11, 2018, accessed on April 13, 2018.
  4. ↑ Sheikha Latifa Al Maktoum's Wedding. Retrieved April 13, 2018 .
  5. ↑ Latifa MR Al Maktoum (@LatifaMRM) | Twitter. Retrieved April 13, 2018 .
  6. ↑ Jamie Wilson, Stuart Millar: Strange case of the sheikh's daughter. December 10, 2001, accessed April 13, 2018 .
  7. ↑ a b Jamie Wilson, Stuart Millar: Sheikh's daughter escaped family's UK home before 'kidnap'. December 15, 2001, accessed April 13, 2018 .
  8. ↑ a b Meet Sheikha Latifa, The Daredevil, Skydiving UAE Royal . In: Emirates Woman . January 24, 2017 ( emirateswoman.com [accessed April 13, 2018]).
  9. ↑ Yousuf Saifuddin Kapadia: Watch: Dubai royal family princess Shaikha Latifa who jumps out of planes for thrills. Retrieved April 13, 2018 .
  10. ↑ Il giallo della principessa scomparsa con l'ex 007. March 23, 2018, accessed on April 13, 2018 .
  11. ↑ Latifa Al Maktoum - Full Unedited Video - Escape from Dubai - Hervé Jaubert on YouTube , March 11, 2018, accessed April 13, 2018.
  12. ↑ a b FriendsOfLatifa: Dubai Mystery: What happened to Latifa Al Maktoum? In: FriendsOfLatifa. April 9, 2018, accessed April 13, 2018 .
  13. ↑ Latifa Al Maktoum - Full Unedited Video - Escape from Dubai - Hervé Jaubert (from 0:33:05) on YouTube , March 11, 2018, accessed on April 13, 2018.
  14. ↑ a b Alexis: “Sheikh Mohammed can get you anywhere in the world”, freed Tiina Jauhiainen. Retrieved April 13, 2018 (UK English).
  15. ↑ Will the UAE plead incompetence over the raid on Nostromo? In: Mynewsdesk . ( mynewsdesk.com [accessed April 13, 2018]).
  16. ^ Former spy wants FBI to investigate raid to snatch Dubai princess Sheikha Latifa . In: mid-day . April 10, 2018 ( mid-day.com [accessed April 13, 2018]).
  17. ^ Former spy wants FBI to investigate raid to snatch Dubai princess Sheikha Latifa . In: mid-day . April 10, 2018 ( mid-day.com [accessed April 13, 2018]).
  18. ^ Frenchman rescuing princess stopped by troops 'enforcing Islamic law' . In: Mail Online . ( dailymail.co.uk [accessed April 13, 2018]).
  19. ^ Frenchman rescuing princess stopped by troops 'enforcing Islamic law' . In: Mail Online . ( dailymail.co.uk [accessed April 13, 2018]).
  20. ^ Family says "Frenchman Christian Elombo detained in Oman in connection with Sheikha Latifa's escape" . In: Mynewsdesk . ( mynewsdesk.com [accessed April 13, 2018]).
  21. ↑ L'essentiel: He is said to have kidnapped a princess in Dubai . In: L'essentiel in German . ( lessentiel.lu [accessed April 13, 2018]).
  22. ↑ The arrested Frenchman is said to have helped the princess to escape . In: Tageblatt.lu . April 12, 2018 ( tageblatt.lu [accessed April 13, 2018]).
  23. ↑ UAE donates $ 54m to Interpol to help fight terror . In: ArabianBusiness.com . ( arabianbusiness.com [accessed April 13, 2018]).
  24. ↑ Detained in Dubai to hold press conference on the case of Latifa Al Maktoum and attack on US yacht . In: Mynewsdesk . ( mynewsdesk.com [accessed April 13, 2018]).
  25. ↑ Escape From Dubai (@escape_dubai) | Twitter. Retrieved April 13, 2018 .
  26. ↑ Dubai princess 'drugged' in jail after failed escape, says friend . In: Mail Online . ( dailymail.co.uk [accessed April 13, 2018]).
  27. ↑ International Law Specialists | London, UK | The Guernica Group. Retrieved April 13, 2018 .
  28. ↑ Detained in Dubai hold press conference in London on the disappearance of Dubai Princess Sheikha Latifa . In: ICFUAE | International Campaign For Freedom in the UAE . April 13, 2018 ( org.uk [accessed April 13, 2018]).
  29. ↑ Free Latifa . In: Shahid Bolsen . April 12, 2018 ( wordpress.com [accessed April 13, 2018]).
  30. ↑ L'essentiel: He is said to have kidnapped a princess in Dubai . In: L'essentiel in German . ( lessentiel.lu [accessed April 13, 2018]).
  31. ↑ The arrested Frenchman is said to have helped the princess to escape . In: Tageblatt.lu . April 12, 2018 ( tageblatt.lu [accessed April 13, 2018]).
  32. ↑ Richard Spencer: India helped 'seize fleeing Dubai princess' . In: The Times . April 2, 2018, ISSN  0140-0460 ( thetimes.co.uk [accessed April 13, 2018]).
  33. ↑ Dubai: l'histoire secrète de l'évasion manquée d'une princesse . In: Le Figaro . April 12, 2018 ( lefigaro.fr [accessed April 13, 2018]).
  34. ↑ Dunja Ramadan: “Sheikha Latifa. Escaped princess from the United Arab Emirates ”. In: SZ.de, April 20, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  35. ↑ Christoph Ehrhardt: Princess on the run: Latifa Al Maktoum has disappeared . In: FAZ.NET . ISSN  0174-4909 ( faz.net [accessed December 9, 2018]).
  36. ^ Spiegel Online: Latifa Al Maktoum: Escape drama about the daughter of the Emir of Dubai. Retrieved December 9, 2018 .
  37. ↑ Dubai royal defends Robinson visit . January 5, 2019 ( bbc.com [accessed February 24, 2019]).
  38. ↑ DER SPIEGEL: Emir of Dubai convicted of kidnapping and torture - DER SPIEGEL - Politics. Retrieved March 5, 2020 .
personal data
SURNAME Al Maktum, Latifa bint Muhammad
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Al Maktoum, Latifa bint Muhammad
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Member of the dynasty of Dubai
DATE OF BIRTH 5th December 1985