French police arrest German accused of holding wife captive

French police on Monday said they had arrested a German national after his wife was discovered after 12 years of captivity in the couple’s home in Forbach, eastern France. The small town is close to the German border and Saarbrücken, the capital of the state of Saarland.

A police source told AFP news agency that the woman, also German, was found naked with her head shaved in a bedroom that was closed off with metal wire.

She had probably been tortured and had multiple injuries. The woman was taken to a hospital with fractures in both legs, and her fingers.

How was the woman found?

The police source said the 53-year-old woman had managed to call police in Germany over the weekend, who in turn alerted their French colleagues. The woman said she had been held and abused by her husband since 2011.

French broadcaster BFMTV said that the 55-year-old man is accused of kidnapping, aggravated rape, and acts of torture and barbarism. He is held in the eastern city of Metz.

The investigations are ongoing. French-Monegasque station RMC said police found a diary-like notebook in the apartment, which the man is believed to have used to record his actions and the times he gave his wife food.