French police have arrested a German national after his wife was discovered after 12 years of captivity in the couple's home.

A police source said the woman, also German, was naked with her head shaved when they found her in a bedroom in the apartment, and had multiple injuries, including broken bones.

She had probably been tortured, the source said on Monday.

Police said the bedroom was closed off with metal wire at the residence in in Forbach, eastern France, which is close to the German border.

The woman, 53, had managed to call police in Germany, wh o in turn alerted their French colleagues, a police source said.

The man, 55, was is accused of kidnapping, aggravated rape, and acts of torture and barbarism, French broadcaster BFMTV said.