FBI involvement in attack on US flagged yacht in international waters, deflected by White House press secretary Jen Psaki. Victims of the Nostromo attack are appalled that instead of offering the US flagged yacht protection from piracy, aggravated assault and abduction, they assisted the offenders and put American lives at risk.
A USA Today report makes some serious allegations against the FBI, including violations of protocol and negligence that led to the violent assault and abduction of a US citizen. The report alleges that Sheikh Mohammed claimed to US agents that Latifa had been kidnapped, despite her history of escape attempts. The FBI, it alleges, wanted to play ‘hero’ and help the Sheikh by obtaining locational data via Nostromo’s US based satellite provider, KVH. In the absence of a subpoena, the FBI may have violated local laws and protocols in doing so.
The FBI, The UAE Embassy in Washington DC, the White House and the State department declined to comment.
According to the source, “The FBI appeared to have departed from its own guidelines for legal attachés, known as "legats," whose collective mission is to cultivate ties with host countries and advance global law enforcement cooperation. Rather than seek a subpoena for Nostromo’s location, they circumvented protocols by contacting KVH and pleading a “public safety emergency”.
“If indeed the FBI were involved in assisting Dubai, they were clearly deceived by the UAE who were fully aware that Princess Latifa had fled of her own volition. In any case, if the FBI were to assist a foreign government attack a US flagged yacht in international waters with a US citizen on board, they breached protocol. They did not attempt to contact Nostromo. They did not send US forces to assist or supervise the UAE or to prevent the violent assault of their citizens by allied forces”, said Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai who was contacted by Princess Latifa and Hervé Jaubert during the attack. Stirling instructed the United Nations involvement on behalf of Princess Latifa and Hervé Jaubert, reported the attack to authorities and released Latifa’s video to the media.
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Several CIA and FBI agents have been baffled by the allegation of involvement. They find it hard to believe that they would circumvent protocols, but it would not be the first time.
Stirling continued, “There are a number of explanations for how Nostromo may have been located, and we intend to get to the bottom of this through a series of Freedom of Information requests and legal actions. However, the main issue has always been that the people onboard Nostromo had every right to feel safe and under the protection of international law.
“Nostromo should never have been violently attacked. When forces boarded the yacht, Latifa repeatedly requested asylum and informed them she did not want to return to Dubai. She said she would rather die. If there was previously any doubt, it became clear at this point that the allegations of kidnapping were false. Still though, Nostromo and all onboard were abducted and forced to the UAE.
“The UAE has never compensated the victims of the attack nor accepted responsibility, nor suffered sanctions for misleading the United States and India by falsely stating that Latifa had been kidnapped.
“This was not the first time the ruler’s daughter had escaped. His other daughter, Sheikha Shamsa, also fled his custody in England and she too, was kidnapped and returned to the UAE”.
“This incident needs to be properly analysed by the US government and the courts to ensure it never happens again. No US citizen on a US flagged yacht should ever be abducted again. This was a blatant violation of international law and the beginning of the escalating belligerence of Gulf nationals, ultimately leading to Khashoggi’s execution.
“We must ensure justice is done in this case, or we will see more acts of violence in the future.”
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