Woman and her two children rescued in Malaga after her ex-partner holds them hostage in car for 13 days

A woman and her two children have been rescued by the National Police in Malaga after being held at knifepoint in a car by her ex-partner for 13 days. They travelled more than 2,000 kilometres in the car, during which time the victims were subjected to abuse and malnutrition. Their final destination was Algeria.

The French authorities requested Spain's collaboration in locating the woman and her two children, who had been missing since 3 October. A large, arduous and careful investigation was launched, given the urgency of the case. Initial enquiries suggested that the family might be travelling in a vehicle in Spain.

The man reportedly kidnapped his ex-partner and broke her phone to prevent her from communicating with anyone. They spent the next 13 days travelling across Spain and Portugal. According to the investigation, he forced the woman to drive, threatening her with a knife. During those 2,000 kilometres, he would barely let her rest and would subject her to physical and sexual abuse in front of the children.

The police learned that he had also not allowed them to wash or change their clothes. The only food they ate over almost two weeks was cans of tuna, biscuits and bread, which he would buy from petrol stations.

At one point, the woman took advantage of her ex-partner's distraction to send a messege to a member of her family: "He wants to kill me, call the police, they are the only ones who can save me and delete everything so that he doesn't see it."

Thanks to the international cooperation and the rapid action of the National Police, the car was located in Malaga city. Reportedly, the man had intended to cross to Algeria to flee from the French justice system, which had issued two European arrest and surrender warrants for him.

The operation, carried out by the central family and women's services unit (Ufam), was "particularly difficult" given the risk that both the mother and the children were running. The priority of the police operation was, at all times, discretion and speed to protect the victims and avoid any unpredictable reaction from the suspect.

The police immediately took the woman and her children to a medical centre as they showed signs of malnutrition and dehydration. In addition, the woman had bruises and bites, while the children had insect bites all over their bodies. Inside the vehicle, the police found the knife with which he threatened her and her broken mobile phone.

The man has been arrested for the crimes of murder, aggravated and continuous sexual assault, unlawful detention, an international judicial warrant, domestic and gender-based abuse, a violation of privacy and property damage. The court ordered his immediate imprisonment.