DUBAI – A runaway Dubai princess who attempted to escape from the UnitedArab Emirates – unsuccessfully – has indeed been ‘taken’ and “brought back”to the kingdom, according to a news report.
The princess – 32-year-old Sheikha Latifa Al Maktoum – was reported missingearlier this year after a ship carrying her and her friends was allegedlyintercepted by UAE and Indian forces.
Detained for Dubai, a non-governmental organisation that assists “victimsof injustice in the United Arab Emirates”, had earlier accused New Delhi ofplaying a role in the princess’s capture.
The NGO accused New Delhi of violating maritime laws and internationaltreaties by helping to ‘illegally’ and ‘violently’ intercept a ship thatwas carrying Sheikha Latifa, who is the daughter of Sheikh Mohammed binRashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and Prime Minister of the UAE.
The allegations were based on the claims of a former French spy, HerveJaubert, who claims he helped Sheikha Latifa escape from the UAE.
The ship, Jaubert claimed, was attacked and intercepted by the Indian CoastGuard and commandos from the UAE. All those onboard the ship – includingJaubert, the boat’s crew and Sheikha Latifa – were then taken to the UAEagainst their will.
While the others were released after a few days, the whereabouts of SheikhaLatifa remained unclear. It seems, however, that the princess is indeedback in the UAE.
The news agency Agence France-Presse has reported, citing an unnamed sourceclose to the Dubai government, that Sheikha Latifa is back in the UAE.”What I can confirm is they took her and she was brought back,” AFP quotesthe source as saying.
The AFP report, however, does not provide a confirmation or a denial of theclaims regarding how Sheikha Latifa was captured. The source said he didnot know where Sheikha Latifa was tracked down or by whom, only that shewas now “with her family” and “doing excellent”, AFP reported.
At the same time, the source likens the controversy surrounding ShekhaLatifa’s alleged capture to a “soap opera that [has] transformed into arampaging scheme to tarnish the reputation of Dubai and Sheikh Mohammed”.
India has not officially commented on the allegations that the Coast Guardassisted UAE forces.