Dubai princess Sheikha Latifa says she fears for her life while held ‘hostage’ in villa

The daughter of Dubai’s ruler says she is being held captive and fears for her life after a foiled attempt to flee the emirate, according to new footage aired by the BBC on Tuesday.

Sheikha Latifa has not been seen in public since an attempted escape by sea in March 2018. She is seen crouched in a corner of what she says is a bathroom, in clips that the BBC said were filmed around a year after she was captured and returned.

“I’m a hostage and this villa has been converted into a jail,” she says in one cellphone video.

“There’s five policemen outside and two policewomen inside the house. Every day I am worried about my safety and my life.”

In another video, Latifa says her situation is “getting more desperate every day”.