AN Irish mum has been arrested after sparking an international manhunt by fleeing to Spain with her toddler daughter.

The unnamed woman was held in the Costa Blanca capital of Alicante after allegedly going on the run with the child.

2 Woman was held in Costa Blanca Credit: Alamy

French authorities issued a European Arrest Warrant after the girl’s dad reported her to police.

The youngster was today said to be in the care of social services in Alicante after being tracked down to an apartment in the city.

Her mum, arrested at the same address on Tuesday, was in prison near the Costa Blanca resort after an extradition hearing.

She answered questions from a judge via video-link from a duty court in Alicante today.

It was not immediately clear if she had consented to extradition during the behind-closed-doors hearing - or tried to delay or stop her forced return to France by appealing.

The European Arrest Warrant was issued on July 28. Local sources said they believed the detainee was travelling on an Irish passport.

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The woman at the centre of the drama is understood to have told police she acted out of fear of her daughter’s father, who has been described locally as her husband.

She is not believed to have shown officers or court officials any proof at this stage to back up her claims or show she was a victim of domestic violence.

A Spanish Police spokesman confirmed the mother of the toddler had been arrested on foot of a European Arrest Warrant at an undisclosed address in Alicante.

He said: “The warrant was issued by authorities in France for crimes against people, in this specific case for abduction of a child.”

Full details of the case, including the circumstances in which mother and child fled France, were not immediately made available by Spanish authorities.

2 Case is similar to that of Ellie Silva, with mum Candice Credit: Luis Costa - The Sun Dublin

The case is similar to that of Irish youngster Ellie Silva who vanished after being abducted by her Portuguese dad Filipe Silva during a two-week holiday with him in July 2012.

Her British-born mum Candice Gannon was only reunited with her daughter in February 2013 at an Algarve children’s home after her ex flouted a court order to return her and ended up being arrested.

It later emerged Silva had taken Ellie to a hideaway in the northern Portuguese city of Porto.

Despite being charged with kidnap, Ellie’s dad was allowed to bid for custody of his daughter in a case which ran parallel to the criminal proceedings.

Silva was told in April 2014 his bid had failed and his daughter would be returning to Ireland.

He was handed a two and a half year suspended prison sentence in July last year after being convicted of kidnapping Ellie.