Sheikha Latifa, who witnesses say was seized from a yacht, has not been seen in public since March

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

A missing Emirati princess, who witnesses said was seized by commandos from a yacht after trying to flee Dubai, is “safe” at home, according to a statement released by her family.

The statement did not include any video or other message from Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed al-Maktoum herself, who was 33 on Wednesday.

In a video Latifa made before her failed escape from the kingdom, she said she feared torture or worse if captured. Once a regular fixture in Emirati papers because of her taste for sky-diving, Latifa has not been seen in public – and friends say they have not heard from her – since early March.

“Her Highness Sheikha Latifa is now safe in Dubai,” said the statement from the court of Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum.

“(Latifa) and her family are looking forward to celebrating her birthday today, in privacy and peace, and to building a happy and stable future for her.”

It said Latifa and an older sister, Shamsa, who has not been seen in public since her own failed escape attempt in 2000, were “adored and cherished by their family”.

Witnesses say Latifa was seized by a commando squad who boarded the yacht she was using to flee the United Arab Emirates when it was about 30 miles from the Indian port of Goa. Her Instagram account was closed down following her return to Dubai.

Play Video 1:47 Dubai princess: 'Either I'm dead or I'm in a very, very, very bad situation' – video

In a video Latifa recorded before her escape attempt, which she asked friends to release only if she failed, the princess said she was jailed and tortured after a previous attempt to leave the UAE. She feared more ill-treatment if she were returned.

“If you are watching this video it’s not such a good thing, either I’m dead or I’m in a very, very, very bad situation,” she said.

She also said Shamsa lived in a kind of medical jail constantly surrounded and monitored by nurses.

Friends told the BBC in a new documentary, Escape from Dubai, that they had helped plan her escape. They said she spent seven years planning it and told them she would rather be killed than return to Dubai.

Dubai’s ruler said in his statement that Latifa was “vulnerable to exploitation” by Hervé Jaubert, the French ex-spy who accompanied her on the yacht.

It claimed Jaubert demanded a ransom for her return after she left Dubai, and had a history of Islamophobic writing. Jaubert, who said he was beaten during the raid and briefly held by Emirati authorities in March, could not immediately be reached for comment.

The royal court’s description of Latifa’s departure as a kidnapping did not match reports from friends and campaign group Detained in Dubai, who said Latifa contacted them from the yacht, excited to be escaping but fearful she might be intercepted.

She sent messages to Detained in Dubai during the commando raid on the yacht, pleading for help, the group said.

• Escape from Dubai: The Mystery of the Missing Princess will be broadcast on Thursday 6 December at 9pm on BBC Two

