Dubai's 'Missing' Princess Latifa, Who Claimed She Was Being Held Hostage By Her Father, Appears In Instagram Photo
A new photo of Dubai's "missing" Princess Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum was posted on social media last week. If the photo is real, this would be the first time the princess has been seen in public since February, when she claimed that she was being held hostage by her father, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. (Her father has denied the claims.)
In the photo, which was uploaded to Instagram, Latifa is sitting with two women at the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai.
In another photo, the princess is seen sitting with a friend at an Italian restaurant in Dubai.
Both images were uploaded by a user name Sinoed "Shinny" Bryn, but it's unclear if the account has been verified.
"We confirm that there have been several potentially significant and positive developments in the campaign. We do not intend to comment further at this stage, a further statement will be issued at the appropriate time," David Haigh, co-founder of the Free Latifa campaign and Detained International, said.
Latifa attempted to escape from Dubai in February 2018, but she was unsuccessful.
Earlier this year, a video clip of her emerged, where she asks for help and explains what has been allegedly going on. “I’m doing this video from a bathroom because it’s the only room with a door I can lock,” she said in the clip. “I can’t lock the door to my room, there is no key. I am in a villa, I’m a hostage and this villa has been converted into a jail. All the windows are barred shut. I can’t open any window.”
She continued, “There are five policemen outside and two policewomen inside the house, and I can’t even go outside to get any fresh air. I don’t know when I will be released or what the conditions will be like when I am released. Everyday I am worried about my safety and my life. I don’t really know if I am going to survive this situation. I don’t want to be a hostage in this ‘jail villa.’ I just want to be free,” she declared. “I don’t know what they are planning on doing with me. I really don’t know. So, the situation is getting more desperate everyday and I am just really, really tired of this now.”