Madeleine McCann investigation takes fresh turn as British police make urgent request following release of prime suspect.
https://www.gbnews.com/news/world/madeleine-mccann-investigation-british-police-urgent-request-suspect-releaseThe investigation into the disappearance of Madeline McCann has taken a new turn as British police are said to have requested key files.
Met Police officers are expected to travel to Germany soon, where it is said they will also be able to speak to witnesses related to the case.
It comes after the case's prime suspect, Christian Brueckner, was released from prison last week.
German national Brueckner had spent seven years behind bars for the unrelated rape of an elderly woman in 2005.
According to The Sun, a police source in Germany said: "We’re expecting Met officers could ask to come any time now.
"They have requested all the permissions they need to look into full case files and access any translations.
"They will also have the ability to speak with all the witnesses."
Madeleine disappeared at the age of three from her bed in a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in Lagos, Portugal, on the evening of May 3, 2007, as her parents dined just metres away.
The Metropolitan Police has said 49-year-old Brueckner remains a suspect in its investigation.
Senior Investigating Officer, DCI Mark Cranwell, said the force had "worked closely with our policing colleagues in Germany and Portugal" for a number of years and "supported Madeleine's family to understand what happened on the evening of May 3, 2007".
In a statement last week, Mr Cranwell said Brueckner 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," he added.
"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.
Mr Cranwell however, said that Brueckner had rejected the request.
Brueckner has previously denied any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance.
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 searched near 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.
The total funding given to the Met Police's investigation, titled Operation Grange, has been more than £13.2million since 2011, after a further £108,000 was secured from the Government in April.
Madeleine's parents continue to campaign for their daughter, who would now be 22, to be found and issue a statement each year on the anniversary of her disappearance.
"We love her dearly and miss her beyond words," they wrote on their website.
