Prime suspect in Madeleine McCann disappearance refuses Met interview

The prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has refused to be interviewed by the Metropolitan Police ahead of his pending release from prison, the force has said.

The Met said it sent an international letter of request to 49-year-old German national Christian Brueckner for him to speak with them which he later rejected.

Madeleine vanished in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz in 2007, shortly after she was left sleeping by her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, who went for dinner in a nearby restaurant.

The Met said Brueckner remains a suspect in its own investigation – with Portuguese and German authorities also probing the three-year-old’s disappearance.

Brueckner is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for the rape of an elderly woman at her home in Praia da Luz in 2005 and could potentially be released on Wednesday.

He has previously denied any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance.

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Cranwell, a senior investigating officer for the Met’s investigation, said the force will “continue to pursue any viable lines of inquiry” in the absence of an interview with Brueckner.

He said: “For a number of years we have worked closely with our policing colleagues in Germany and Portugal to investigate the disappearance of Madeleine McCann and support Madeleine’s family to understand what happened on the evening of 3 May 2007 in Praia da Luz.

“We are aware of the pending release from prison of a 49-year-old German man who has been the primary suspect in the German federal investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance.

“We can confirm that this individual remains a suspect in the Metropolitan Police’s own investigation.

“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.

“It was subsequently refused by the suspect. In the absence of an interview, we will nevertheless continue to pursue any viable lines of inquiry.

“We can provide no further information while the investigation is ongoing.”

A number of searches have been carried out by German, Portuguese and British authorities since Madeleine’s disappearance – with the latest taking place near the Portuguese municipality of Lagos in June.

In 2023, investigators carried out searches near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, about 30 miles from Praia da Luz.

Brueckner spent time in the area between 2000 and 2017 and had photographs and videos of himself near the reservoir.

In October last year, the suspect was cleared by a German court of unrelated sexual offences, alleged to have taken place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.

The total funding given to the Met’s investigation, titled Operation Grange, has been more than £13.2 million since 2011 after a further £108,000 was secured from the Government in April.