Suspected primary individual implicated in the Madeleine McCann mystery freed from jail
Madeleine McCann, a three-year-old girl who vanished in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz in 2007, remains the focus of ongoing investigations in both Portugal and Germany.
Since her disappearance, authorities from Germany, Portugal, and the UK have conducted searches in various locations. The latest search took place near the Portuguese municipality of Lagos in June, with investigators carrying out searches near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, about 30 miles from Praia da Luz.
The suspect in the investigation is Christian Brueckner, a German national who served a seven-year prison sentence for rape in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2005. Brueckner has previously denied any involvement in Madeleine McCann's disappearance. However, recent findings suggest otherwise.
Investigators have discovered photographs and videos of Brueckner near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, and it is known that he spent time in the area between 2000 and 2017. Brueckner was released from a high-security prison in Sehnde near Hanover, Germany, at 9.15am local time.
The Metropolitan Police in the UK consider Brueckner a suspect in the investigation of Madeleine McCann's disappearance. Earlier this week, the UK's Metropolitan Police sent an international letter of request for Brueckner to speak with them upon his release, which he later rejected.
The Metropolitan Police's investigation, titled Operation Grange, has been ongoing since 2011. The total funding given to this operation has been more than £13.2 million (€15.1m) since its inception. An additional £108,000 (€124,000) was secured from the government in April for the investigation.
Besides the Metropolitan Police, the current investigations into Madeleine McCann's 2007 disappearance involve Portuguese police restarting investigations in 2013 and German prosecutors from Braunschweig who suspect Brueckner as a main suspect, conducting their own inquiries including new searches and DNA analyses.
Madeleine McCann vanished while she was sleeping, and her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, were dining in a nearby restaurant. The disappearance of the young girl has been a mystery for over a decade, and investigators continue to work diligently to find answers and bring closure to the McCann family.
