Mystery drama on the high seas: A princess, a spy and an escape plan gone wrong

Herve Jaubert poses inside one of his companys model submarines in Dubai on May 11 2006 PicsAFPWe wouldnt blame you for thinking this one is straight out of a 007 film Former French spy and now USA native Herve Jaubert who had made a dramatic dash for freedom from Dubai back in 2008 has landed slap bang in the middle of another sensational international controversyHerve Jaubert in front of his companyrsquos office in Dubai on May 11 2006Rescuing damselsReports say that Herve was on a mission to rescue 33yearold Sheikha Latifa daughter of Dubais ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Saeed Al Maktoum from Dubai by sea In a video Latifa has claimed she was being beaten and tortured and hence wanted to escape to the USA to freedom Herve had packed Latifa and her companion and capoeira Brazilian martial art instructor Tiina Johanna Juahiainen into a yacht Nostromo registered in the US and was headed from the Dubai coast towards India But the yacht cite reports lost contact midseaSheikha Latifa centre flanked by friendsGunshots heardReports then state that the founder and CeO Radha Stirling of the NGO Detained in Dubai which was formed to assist victims of injustice in the United Arab emirates UAe got an SOS on March 4 from Latifa who is reported to have said she had heard gunshots on the yacht After that contact with all on board has ceased At the time the Nostromo was traced to 50 miles off the Goa coastFears growAs the story gained international traction with social media abuzz and media reporting skeletal details fears about the fate of those on board the Nostromo grew early on March 23 there was some news said Stirling in an email to midday on Friday Herve is currently at sea and we do not have an exact location confirmed and neither do we have information as to whether he is safe or free she saidShe said Nostromo actually had six passengers onboard There were three Fillipino nationals too with Herve Tiina and Latifa The next that Nostromo was seen was at a military base in the United Arab emirates This shows that the US registered yacht was seized from Indian or international waters by the UAe and with the knowledge andor assistance of the Indian governmentEntirely illegalStirling added that If this is the case the action of the kidnap and seizure of a United States yacht is wholly illegal and in breach of a number of international and maritime laws and treatiesAsked specifically about Herve and Tiina Stirling said that they know for sure that Both Herve and Tiina had been released from the custody of the UAe and Tiina had been confirmed to be home with her family in Finland after leaving Dubai on an emirates flight There has been no official announcement about the whereabouts or safety of Latifa but she is presumed to be in the custody of the UAe If this is accurate then the UAe has apprehended her from what is legally US territory and she should legally have been returned to that same yacht that Herve is now sailing onStirling said The passengers onboard Nostromo had planned to disembark in India and fly from Mumbai to the United States where Latifa had intended to seek safety and asylum In fact the proposed landing in Mumbai will mirror Herves own flight from Dubai in 2008 encapsulated in his book called escape from Dubai In August 2009 Herve had spoken to this newspaper about his James Bondish escape from Dubai where he had claimed that he was wrongly indicted for embezzlement fraud and sexual harassmentFlashbackAt the time Herve had said that I created exomos in Dubai in 2004 a subsidiary of a company called Dubai World to make submarines for the leisure market The Dubai downturn meant hard times and Herve said he was accused of wrongdoings and knew he had to get out By May 2008 he began to plan his escape On the eve of his escape Herve disguised himself in an abaya ndash the full cover worn by Muslim women including the niqaab which is a face veil Herve had said I escaped from a beach off Fujeirha on a dinghy I sailed for six hours before I met a friend at a rendezvous point who had taken my sailboat out of Fujeirha Once on the sailboat I sailed to IndiaIn that report published in this paper on Aug 23 2009 Herve had said I landed in Gateway of India at 2am on May 28 2008 after approximately a week on the sea One feels this is the same way Herve may have planned Latifas escape only something went wrong near Goa and what exactly will be known only by establishing contact with those who were on the yacht It is evident though that the world has not heard the end of this story Stirling says No intelligence as to what happened that night on Nostromo has yet been provided but will be demanded through legal channelsOn StirlingsTwitter accountNostromo seen at MilitaryBase in fujairah then seen moving through gulf of Oman HerveJaubert later reported to have called wife for few seconds Said coming home Awaiting direct contact with Herve WhereisTiina WhereisLatifaHerves last email to middayOn March 3 this reporter got an email saying Hello are you still a journalist i have a huge story for you Herve Jaubert When I replied that I am still a journalist there was another email Ok great I may have a huge story for you so stay on standby All the best Herve JaubertRead what happened in 2009Escape From DubaiAlso ReadRemembering Herve JaubertCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates