The prime suspect in the high-profile case of Madeleine McCann's disappearance has declined to be interviewed by the Metropolitan Police, the force has said. The Met said an international letter of request was sent to Christian Brückner ahead of his imminent release for a separate offence, which he later rejected.
German national Brückner, 48, has never been charged with any crime in relation to the McCann case and denies any involvement. Madeleine vanished in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz in 2007 while she and her siblings were left sleeping in a holiday apartment as their parents dined at a nearby restaurant. The McCanns had checked on the children periodically until Kate discovered Madeleine was missing around 22:00.
Brückner is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for the rape of a 72-year-old woman at her home in Prairie da Luz in 2005. German authorities have stated he will be released by Wednesday. Det Ch Insp Mark Cranwell indicated that Brückner remains a suspect in the Met Police's own investigation into the disappearance. He has been a focus of German and Portuguese investigations since 2020 and 2022, respectively.
We have requested an interview with this German suspect, but, for legal reasons, this can only be done via an International Letter of Request which has been submitted, stated Cranwell. It was subsequently refused by the suspect. In the absence of an interview, we will continue to pursue any viable lines of inquiry.
Madeleine's disappearance has become one of the highest-profile unsolved missing person cases globally. German prosecutors suggest that evidence, including mobile phone data, indicates Brückner may have been in the area when she vanished, but they have not found enough evidence to press charges.
Brückner, a drifter and convicted sex offender, has several previous convictions, including for sexually abusing children in 1994 and 2016. Recent searches by Portuguese and German police have not yielded breakthroughs. Investigators carried out further searches in 2023 near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, about 30 miles from Praia da Luz, after discovering that Brückner had spent multiple years in the Algarve. However, they found no conclusive evidence.
British police treat Madeleine’s case as a missing persons investigation, whereas German authorities suspect Brückner of murder. Operation Grange, the Met's investigation, has seen over £13.2m in funding since 2011, with a further £108,000 secured from the government in April.
German national Brückner, 48, has never been charged with any crime in relation to the McCann case and denies any involvement. Madeleine vanished in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz in 2007 while she and her siblings were left sleeping in a holiday apartment as their parents dined at a nearby restaurant. The McCanns had checked on the children periodically until Kate discovered Madeleine was missing around 22:00.
Brückner is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for the rape of a 72-year-old woman at her home in Prairie da Luz in 2005. German authorities have stated he will be released by Wednesday. Det Ch Insp Mark Cranwell indicated that Brückner remains a suspect in the Met Police's own investigation into the disappearance. He has been a focus of German and Portuguese investigations since 2020 and 2022, respectively.
We have requested an interview with this German suspect, but, for legal reasons, this can only be done via an International Letter of Request which has been submitted, stated Cranwell. It was subsequently refused by the suspect. In the absence of an interview, we will continue to pursue any viable lines of inquiry.
Madeleine's disappearance has become one of the highest-profile unsolved missing person cases globally. German prosecutors suggest that evidence, including mobile phone data, indicates Brückner may have been in the area when she vanished, but they have not found enough evidence to press charges.
Brückner, a drifter and convicted sex offender, has several previous convictions, including for sexually abusing children in 1994 and 2016. Recent searches by Portuguese and German police have not yielded breakthroughs. Investigators carried out further searches in 2023 near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, about 30 miles from Praia da Luz, after discovering that Brückner had spent multiple years in the Algarve. However, they found no conclusive evidence.
British police treat Madeleine’s case as a missing persons investigation, whereas German authorities suspect Brückner of murder. Operation Grange, the Met's investigation, has seen over £13.2m in funding since 2011, with a further £108,000 secured from the government in April.
