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Ìý"provided assistance essential"Ìýto the capture ofÌýÌýas she tried to flee the emirate in 2018, according to a new report.Ìý

The US security service allegedly obtained and shared details about the location of the princess from the internet service provider of the yacht Nostromo, which she was travelling on whenÌýshe was detained off the coast of Goa by Indian and Emirati special forces.Ìý

A USA Today report on WednesdayÌýcited sources who saidÌýthe data was provided without the proper legal protocols - such as filing a subpoena to the yacht’s internet service provider - as the US believed they were responding to an urgent plea fromÌýÌýleader for help.

"truly believed this was a kidnapping case and the US was saving the day,"Ìýa person with knowledge of the operation told the newspaper.

It is suspected that Princess Latifa's father, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, contacted an FBI agent stationed in the US consulate inÌýÌýafter hearing about his daughter leaving the emirate.Ìý

The agent first contacted FBI headquarters in Washington about the incident and then, according to reports, the organisation wasÌýable to obtain information from the yacht's location via its internet service provider, US-based KVH - who tracked down Latifa after she used a private email account onboard the boat.Ìý

"fatal mistake was she checked her email," one of the people familiar with the operation toldÌýUSA Today. "That was the breakthrough. It was cross-checked with other information and databases in the area, and the Emiratis were able to figure out precisely which boat she was on, and where that boat was located."

In a statement, KVH said it "cooperates with law enforcement when compelled or permitted under existing laws, such as in emergencies involving potential death or serious injury."

While some intelligence officers have corroboratedÌýthe story, others have questioned the likelihood of a senior US security department sidestepping international protocols.Ìý

"I don't know of any internet service providers who would provide it (the data) without some kind of paperwork,"Ìýsaid Tom Fuentes, a former FBI assistant director who oversaw the bureau’s international operations division for five years.Ìý

He said he knew of no cases in which agents acted unilaterally to assist. "I can’t imagine anyone doing that,"Ìýhe said.Ìý

The sheikh, who is prime minister and vice-president of the United Arab Emirates, said that he was protecting Latifa's life when carrying out what he calls "a rescue mission".Ìý

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However, a British judge ruled in 2020 that Mohammed abducted Latifa, as well as her sister Shamsa who disappeared from the streets of Cambridge in 2000.Ìý

In February, footage of the princess was released in which she claimed she was a "hostage"Ìýin a "jail villa".Ìý

"I just want to be free,"ÌýPrincess Latifa said in the videos.Ìý

Since then, a series of photographs of the princess have appeared on social media, including two of her with friends at a mall and later a restaurant inÌýÌýand one of her allegedly at an airport with a British friend.Ìý

Following the release of these images,ÌýÌýclaiming she was free to travel anywhere she wanted.Ìý