Christian Brueckner, the main suspect in the case of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, has declined to cooperate with British authorities after being released from jail.
The Metropolitan Police disclosed that they had sent a formal request to the 49-year-old German, urging him to engage in discussions with them. However, Brueckner refused to comply with the request.
The Met confirmed that Brueckner is still under suspicion in connection to the disappearance of the three-year-old in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007. He is currently serving a seven-year prison term in Germany for the assault of an elderly woman in Praia da Luz in 2005 and could be released as soon as Wednesday.
Despite denying any involvement in Madeleine McCann’s case previously, Brueckner’s refusal to speak with authorities has prompted Detective Chief Inspector Mark Cranwell to stress that the investigation will persist with other leads.
Cranwell stated, “Over the years, we have collaborated extensively with law enforcement in Germany and Portugal to probe the disappearance of Madeleine McCann and to help the family understand the events of May 3, 2007, in Praia da Luz.”
“We are informed of the imminent release of a 49-year-old German man, a key suspect in the German federal inquiry into Madeleine’s case. This person remains a suspect in our own investigation at the Metropolitan Police.”
“Despite our request for an interview being declined by the suspect due to legal constraints, we will persist with our inquiries without interruption. No further details can be provided during the ongoing investigation,” Cranwell added.
Multiple searches have been conducted by authorities from Germany, Portugal, and the UK since the child’s disappearance, including a recent one in Lagos in June.
Brueckner resided in Praia da Luz from 2000 to 2017 and was linked to an area near a reservoir that was investigated by law enforcement. Last October, a German court acquitted him of unrelated sexual offenses alleged to have occurred in the same vicinity in Portugal during the same period.
Since 2011, more than £13.2 million has been allocated to Operation Grange, the Met’s investigation, with an additional £108,000 secured from the government in April.