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Photo allegedly showing missing UAE Princess Latifa emerges on Instagram

May 22, 2021 at 5:34 pm

A photo allegedly showing Princess Latifa at the Mall of Emirates in Dubai with friends on an unknown date [Instagram]

A photo showing a woman who appears to be the missing UAE Princess Latifa has emerged on Instagram, BBC News reported.

The princess, who has not been seen or heard from in months was sighted at the shopping centre “Mall of Emirates” with two other women, who both shared the photograph on their Instagram pages.

It is not known exactly when the photograph was taken, but internet sleuths identified the advertisement at the cinema as for the film Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, which was released in the UAE on 13 May 2021.

An Instagram post allegedly showing Princess Latifa at the Mall of Emirates in Dubai with friends on an unknown date [Instagram]

An Instagram post allegedly showing Princess Latifa at the Mall of Emirates in Dubai with friends on an unknown date [Instagram]

A friend has confirmed that the photo is indeed the missing princess, and the two women are acquaintances of hers.

However, Sky News and BBC News have said they have not been able to verify the image as genuine.

In a statement, David Haigh, co-founder of the Free Latifa campaign group, said: “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.”

The UN is reportedly still awaiting proof of life of the missing princess.

Latifa is one of the 25 children of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, and attempted to escape abroad in 2018, leaving a video message explaining her dire situation before she left.

However, her daring escape attempt was dramatically thwarted after the Indian coastguard intercepted and returned her to her father in Dubai.

Since then, a video emerged of her in February 2021, allegedly locked in a “villa jail”, where she said she had no access to healthcare, wasn’t allowed to go outside, and had no access to the outside world, aside from videos and messages she had managed to smuggle to her international friends.

READ: Dubai’s Sheikha Latifa issues video from ‘villa jail’, BBC Panorama