Madeleine McCann Police To Interview SuspectsBritish detectives are back in Portugal to speak to a key witness and several suspects as part of the second phase of their probe.
British police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann have returned to Portugal to question a number of suspects.
They will be speaking to a key witness, as well as several individuals suspected of carrying out burglaries, as part of the second phase of the Scotland Yard probe on the ground in The Algarve.
The same team of British police who were involved in the digging of several sites outside the resort of Praia da Luz earlier in June arrived back in Portugal on Monday.
Sky's Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said: "They will be joining their Portuguese colleagues and sitting in on a series of interviews with, I'm told, first a key witness, and then a number of people who are being described as aguidos (suspects).
"We think that this includes the three or more former workers from the Ocean Club in Praia da Luz where Madeleine vanished who are suspected of carrying out a series of burglaries in the months leading up to Madeleine's disappearance.
"Scotland Yard have made it clear for a while, if not publicly, that they are interested in talking to these suspects.
"Now it may be just a question of eliminating them, but they have certainly been flagged up during the Scotland Yard review of the original police investigation by the Portuguese, people of interest who need to be interviewed, who may become, in a sense, more official suspects, but certainly people that Scotland Yard believe could have vital information about Madeleine's disappearance."
Madeleine vanished from a holiday apartment in the resort of Praia da Luz in May 2007 while her parents Gerry and Kate, from Rothley in Leicestershire, dined with friends nearby.
An area of scrubland to the west of the resort was sealed off by Portuguese police and excavated by the British team on June 2.
Searches of a second and then third site were similarly carried out, with the use of sniffer dogs from South Wales Police, of an area between Praia da Luz and the town of Lagos behind a water treatment plant on June 11.
Sky News also learned an object recovered from the initial searches was sent away for analysis.
Scotland Yard has refused to reveal what intelligence led them to carry out the digs - and to give any updates on their progress.
http://news.sky.com/story/1292497/madeleine-mccann-police-to-interview-suspects