Defying threats and intimidation, in a statement to Detained in Dubai, Finnish national Tiina Jauhiaien recounts her role in the escape of Sheikha Latifa Al Maktoum from the UAE and the terrifying events that followed when their boat was attacked by a joint Indian-Emirati military raid.
She says she was Beaten, detained, threatened with death, and forced to record a false “confession”, Tiina was released after being warned that she would not be safe “even in Finland” if she dared to speak out.
“Sheikh Mohammed is one of the most powerful people in the world and he can get you even in Finland”, with these chilling words from an Emirati official, Tiina Jauhiaien was released after two weeks in UAE custody.
In a statement to Detained in Dubai, Tiina recounted her role in the escape of Sheikha Latifa Al Maktoum, the daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and prime minister of the UAE; and the terrifying events that followed.
Tiina accompanied Latifa aboard the yacht of French-American former naval intelligence officer Hervé Jaubert, to help the Dubai princess escape alleged ‘years of abuse’ suffered at the hands of her father. Latifa recorded a video before leaving the UAE in which she says that she and her elder sister, Sheikha Shamsa, had been beaten, tortured, threatened, detained, and forcibly drugged for years at a time ever since Latifa was 16 years old.
Tiina says, “I have known Sheikha Latifa Al Maktoum since around 2010, first as a fitness trainer and then as her closest friend. Latifa is the daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and prime minister and vice president of the UAE.
“As Latifa’s closest friend I know the horrors of what she has suffered in the UAE at the hands of the ruling family and in particular her father. States Tiina. “This was Latifa’s second attempt to leave the country and live a free life. Latifa was desperate to leave the country and we did so on the 24 the February 2018.”
Their plan was to sail for India, and then fly to the United States where Latifa would apply for asylum; but on March 4th, these plans came to a violent end. “On Sunday 4th March 2018 as night fell we were off the coast of Goa, India when we were attacked by Indian secret service and military, including the Indian Coast Guard.” Tina said, “Around 15 men came onboard fully masked, in armoured black clothing, with machine guns and laser sights. They used what I believe was tear gas. It was the most terrifying experience of my life, The Indian men had their laser sights on me and Latifa and they were telling me they would shoot me and kill me. I was thrown against the floor, stood on and found myself in a pool of blood. (apparently, Herve’s blood as he was severely beaten) At this point, I thought they had killed Hervé and I thought I was next. They told me again and again that they would kill me and held me on the edge of the boat, threatening to push me into the sea. We were cuffed and forced to lie down.”
Herve Jaubert has stated that at least 5 warships, replete with cannons and missiles, 2 military planes, and a helicopter were mobilised in the raid on Nostromo.
Jaubert reported that UAE officials told him that Nostromo had been commandeered, and all those onboard were abducted and detained because helping Latifa escape was a ‘violation of Islamic Law’. The UAE’s stance, as communicated to Jaubert, was that it was forbidden according to Islamic law for Latifa to leave her father’s custody, and that they regarded his attempt to help her escape as tantamount to kidnapping.
Tiina recalls, “Latifa was screaming at the Indian men that she was claiming political asylum. They dragged her away as I heard her say, ‘I won’t go back to the UAE, just kill me now’; I haven’t seen my friend Latifa since.”
Everyone on board Nostromo was taken, blindfolded and handcuffed, back to the UAE, where they were interrogated for two weeks. “I was regularly told that I was facing the death penalty; I was frightened then and am now. The whole time, I thought that we would be killed and that Latifa would be killed too.”
Eventually, Tiina and Herve were forced to record “confessions”, the content of which was provided entirely by the UAE authorities. Tiina says, “We were told that if we did not do so we would never leave and faced the death penalty. We were instructed what to say and I was instructed to shower, change clothes and brush my hair. Then they made us sign a document in Arabic, I do not know what it said.”
Soon thereafter, both Tiina and Herve were released; but before Tiina was allowed to leave, she says, the authorities warned her to keep quiet. “They said ‘Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum is one of the most powerful people in the world and he can kidnap you from anywhere, as you have seen. He can take you even in Finland’. Since I got home, UAE secret service has phoned me to remind me of the document I signed and to check on me, they have tried to get me to go back to Dubai.”
Now home in Finland, Tiina is still traumatised, afraid, and worried about her friend Latifa. “I am fearful for my life I believe Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum would think nothing of killing all of us. I am fearful for the life of Latifa, Hervé and the crew of Nostromo. However, what happened to us has to be spoken about. Dubai is not safe for anyone.”
Helsinki Times was unable to reach Tiina directly, but Tiina’s brother confirmed that Detained in Dubai represents her and the family and the statements released are accurate. Tiina is not talking to the press directly at this point. Helsinki Times contacted UAE embassy staff in Helsinki and in order to get Ambassador’s comments on this story, but there was no response from the embassy up until the publication of this story.
Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai, was contacted by Latifa and Hervé from aboard Nostromo and was instructed to work on their behalf. Stirling was the last person to speak with Latifa in a phone call just as the attack on the boat began. “The actions of the UAE and India against Nostromo, its crew and passengers, was a belligerent and hostile act well beyond the pale of the law. Nostromo is a US registered vessel that falls under American jurisdiction; it is, in short, legally considered United States territory. No one aboard the ship had committed a crime, as was subsequently conceded by UAE authorities themselves, and they were sailing legally with all documentation in order.” Says Sterling
Detained in Dubai states in their release, that the UAEs was using PR agencies to suggest to the world this was not Sheikha Latifa, and in order to confuse the world was parading a different Sheikha Latifa around, and was ordering a crackdown on reporting the Latifa story in the UAE press.
Tiina Jauhiainen is a Finnish citizen born in 1976 in Iisalmi, and a world traveler who has been residing in Dubai since 2001 working mainly in real estate and fitness industries; Tiina’s brother Oku Jauhiainen explains. “ Tiina left our small town for the world, first to London in 1997, later settling in Dubai. She had always wanted to see the world.”
“In mid-2000s Tiina became an avid enthusiast of capoeira, a Brazilian martial art. In 2010 the sport also connected Tiina with Sheikha Latifa Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of Dubai when Tiina became her instructor and personal trainer. They became close friends, with a particular passion for skydiving. Sheikha Latifa referred to Tiina as ‘my angel’ and ‘the only person I can talk to about anything’.” Oku explains in a statement through Detained in Dubai.
Herve Jaubert is a French / American citizen and a former intelligence officer of the French Navy born in 1956. After leaving the navy, in 1993 Herve established a company in Florida and started building
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small submarines for recreational use. In 2004 Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem visited his factory in Florida and invited him to move his firm to UAE and put him in charge of a subsidiary of Dubai World to manufacture recreational submarines.
He was later accused of embezzlement of 3 million USD from the company. Jaubert denied all charges. He escaped from Dubai a year after his first police questioning in a very similar manner, i.e. by a boat taking him to India from Fujairah and flying back to Florida from Mumbai. He wrote a book about his ordeal titled: Escape from Dubai.
Jaubert has written a few other books with controversial titles and covers such as: Sex misery of Muslims and violence; How to bust a Muslim in 20 questions; Islamopology; ISIS and the last crusade; and The Boston fracture, a fictional novel about radical Islamists using a suicide mini-submarine to unleash an apocalypse in Boston. All his books are self-published through Amazon’s subsidiary CreateSpace.
Helsinki Times was not able to confirm the authenticity of the video or speak to Tiina or Herve.
HT
Images: Detained in Dubai
