A man forced his ex at knifepoint to drive more than 1,200 miles with her two young children.
The woman and her children went missing in France on 3 October, with French authorities concluding they had been abducted.
Days into the ordeal, the woman managed to grab a phone while her ex-partner was distracted.
She sent a message to a relative saying, “He wants to kill me.
“Call the police, they’re the only ones who can save me.
“Delete everything so he doesn’t see it.”
Police located them in Málaga, Spain, before the man could reach Algeria in an attempt to escape French justice, which had issued a European arrest warrant for him.
After being freed, the woman and her children were taken to the hospital, showing signs of malnutrition and dehydration.
The woman had bruises and bite marks, while the children had insect bites all over their bodies.
In the filthy vehicle, police found the knife used to force the woman to drive, as well as her broken phone, which the man had destroyed to prevent her from contacting anyone.
During the 13 days they were held, he prevented them from washing or changing clothes, as reported by Need To Know.
They survived on the few items he bought at service stations, mainly tuna, biscuits, and bread.
The man allegedly physically and sexually abused the woman in front of her children throughout their captivity.
He has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, aggravated and continuous sexual assault, illegal detention, international judicial warrant violations, domestic and gender-based abuse, privacy violations, and property damage, and is now in custody.
The Spanish National Police said: “The operation, carried out by UFAM (Family and Women’s Unit) Central, was particularly difficult given the risk to both the mother and children if they encountered the attacker.
“The priority throughout was discretion and speed to protect the victims and prevent any unpredictable reaction.”
READ MORE: Firefighter’s horror as he’s called to car plunge – and finds his son is victim
