Madeleine McCann – live: German police release statement as fresh search begins in Algarve reservoir
Police searching for Madeleine McCann were seen entering the water early this morning at the Barragem do Arade reservoir in Portugal which suspect Christian Brueckner used to visit.
Investigators believe the 45-year-old killed Madeleine, then aged three, after abducting her from a holiday apartment.
The reservoir is around 50km from Praia da Luz where Madeleine went missing in 2007. A police motor boat has also been sent into the water with two officers on it.
A Policia Judiciaria statement said it is co-ordinating searches in the Algarve at the request of German police and in the presence of British officers.
The development comes just 10 days after Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, issued a tribute on their Leicestershire-born daughter’s 20th birthday, telling her: “We love you and we’re waiting for you. We’re never going to give up.”
British police are due to travel to Portugal to observe the new search, with Scotland Yard liaison officers expected to keep the McCanns informed of any developments.
Key Points
Police investigating Madeleine McCann disappearance to search Algarve reservoir
Suspect Christian Brueckner believed to have visited dam near Praia da Luz, insider says
Kate and Gerry McCann issue message to missing daughter on her 20th birthday
Statement from German prosecutors on the search in Portugal today
10:42 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A statement from Germany’s Braunschweig Public Prosecutor’s Office says: “Criminal proceedings are currently taking place in Portugal as part of the investigation into the Madeleine McCann case.
“The measures are implemented through mutual legal assistance by the Portuguese law enforcement authorities with the support of officials from the Federal Criminal Police Office.
“For tactical reasons, no further information on the background is currently being released.”
In pictures: Police officers near Arade dam in Portugal in fresh search for Madeleine McCann
10:37 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Map shows location of Algarve reservoir being searched today
10:29 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The Algarve reservoir is around 50km from Praia da Luz where Madeleine McCann went missing in 2007.
In pictures: Police tent and vehicles seen near Arade dam as search begins
10:16 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A police tent and vehicles are seen near the Arade dam, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Praia da Luz in Portugal.
Police divers begin search in Algarve reservoir
09:07 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Fresh searches are under way in Portugal in the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
Police divers were seen entering the water early on Tuesday at the Barragem do Arade reservoir, about 30 miles from Praia da Luz, where Madeleine went missing in 2007.
A police motor boat has also been sent into the water with two officers on board.
A Policia Judiciaria statement on Monday said they are co-ordinating searches in the Algarve at the request of German police and in the presence of British officers.
Fresh searches for Madeleine McCann expected to begin in Portugal
07:42 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Searches are expected to begin on Tuesday as part of the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, police in Portugal have confirmed.
A Policia Judiciaria statement said it is co-ordinating searches in the Algarve at the request of German police and in the presence of British officers.
An area near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, around 50km from Praia da Luz where Madeleine went missing in 2007, was being sealed off ahead of searches according to Portuguese news website SIC.
It said the prime suspect in her disappearance, convicted sex offender Christian Brueckner, spent time in the area between 2000 and 2017.
Investigators believe the 45-year-old killed Madeleine, then aged three, after abducting her from a holiday apartment.
Brueckner, who has denied involvement in the youngster’s disappearance, was identified as a suspect by Portuguese officials in June 2020.
He is facing charges in Germany over a number of separate sex offences allegedly committed in Portugal during that time.
German authorities were expected to release a statement about the search on Tuesday.
Images of Portuguese officers walking along dry tracks near the reservoir and sealing off areas with police tape emerged on Monday.
It is not the first time the reservoir has been searched.
In 2008, Portuguese lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia paid for specialist divers to check the waterway after he claimed to have been tipped off by criminal contacts that Madeleine’s body was in the reservoir.
The most recent search in Portugal in relation to her disappearance was in 2014, when British police were given permission to examine scrubland near where she vanished.
Earlier this month, Madeleine’s parents Kate and Gerry issued a short statement on their Find Madeleine Campaign website to mark the anniversary of her disappearance.
They said: “Today marks the 16th anniversary of Madeleine’s abduction.
“Still missing... still very much missed.
“It is hard to find the words to convey how we feel.
“The police investigation continues, and we await a breakthrough.”
Watch: Madeleine McCann campaign shares video on missing girl’s 20th birthday
Monday 22 May 2023 21:56 , Andy Gregory
When was Brueckner first linked to Madeleine’s disappearance?
Monday 22 May 2023 21:25 , Andy Gregory
The Madeline McCann case lay dormant for years before suddenly exploding back into life in June 2020 when German media revealed that Christian Brueckner, a 43-year-old prisoner with a track record of child abuse and drug trafficking, had been identified as a new suspect by the public prosecutor of the German city of Braunschweig.
He had reportedly been living in a Volkswagen camper van in the Algarve at the time of Madeleine’s disappearance and one woman has since come forward to suggest she saw a girl that might have been Madeleine speaking German in a supermarket in Portugal in 2017.
German investigators classified their probe into his movements as a murder inquiry, saying they were working on the assumption that Madeleine is dead and reporting in July 2021 that they had found an abandoned cellar beneath his former allotment near Hanover where she could, theoretically, have been held captive.
Hans Christian Wolters, the prosecutor leading the investigation into Brueckner, has said he was “very confident” the inmate is responsible for kidnapping her. “If you knew the evidence we had you would come to the same conclusion as I do but I can’t give you details because we don’t want the accused to know what we have on him – these are tactical considerations,” he told the BBC.
Brueckner was formally made a “arguido” in relation to the case on 21 April 2022.
My colleague Joe Sommerlad has more in this timeline around Madeleine’s disappearance:
When did Madeleine McCann go missing?
Video report: Police investigating disappearance of Madeleine McCann ‘to search reservoir’
Monday 22 May 2023 20:59 , Andy Gregory
New: Portuguese police issue statement confirming search
Monday 22 May 2023 20:23 , Andy Gregory
Portugal’s judiciary police have issued a new statement officially confirming that a search is set to take place.
It said: “In view of the news being made public, the Judiciary Police confirms that steps are still being taken to fully clarify the situation regarding the investigation into the disappearance of an English child, which occurred in the Algarve in 2007.
“Within the scope of international cooperation, in the next few days in the Algarve region, new searches will be carried out, coordinated by the Judiciary Police, at the request of the German Authorities (BKA) and with the presence of the British Authorities.
“Information will be provided in due course on the outcome of the proceedings.”
German prosecutor claimed to have found 'evidence’ in prime suspect’s van
Monday 22 May 2023 19:54 , Andy Gregory
This time last year, lead investigator Hans-Christian Wolters claimed to have found evidence in Christian Brueckner’s camper van potentially linking him to Madeleine McCann’s disappearance.
He told Portuguese TV show Sabado last May: “We have found new facts and new evidence. It’s not forensic evidence but evidence.”
When asked about rumours fibres from the youngster’s pyjamas had been found inside the German’s campervan, the prosecutor said: “I’m not going to comment on the details of the investigation.”
But pressed by host Sandra Felgueiras, who asked: “But you can’t deny it”, Mr Wolters responded: “I don’t want to deny it”, later adding: “Because the suspect has not yet been informed.”
Brueckner has never been charged in relation to Madeleine’s disappearance and has always denied any involvement.
Separate rape allegations against Brueckner dropped last month
Monday 22 May 2023 19:22 , Andy Gregory
In allegations not directly linked to Madeleine McCann’s case, German prosecutors said last year that they had charged Christian Brueckner with several sexual offences they believe he committed in Portugal between 28 December 2000, and 11 June 2017.
He had been due to go on trial for an alleged rape in Portugal, but his lawyer said last month that a court in the city of Braunschweig threw out the case, Bild newspaper reported.
The case was reportedly dropped after a German court said it did not have jurisdiction over it.
Madeleine McCann: Christian Brueckner has rape allegations against him dropped
Divers searched reservoir year after Madeleine’s disappearance following ‘criminal tip-off’
Monday 22 May 2023 18:50 , Andy Gregory
It is not the first time that the reservoir – one of several in the Algarve – has been searched.
In 2008 Portuguese lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia paid for specialist divers to check the waterway after he claimed to have been tipped off by criminal contacts that her body was in the reservoir.
The most recent search in Portugal in relation to Madeleine's disappearance was in 2014, when British police were given permission to examine scrubland near where she vanished.
Images show Portuguese authorities gathering near Arade dam
Monday 22 May 2023 18:22 , Andy Gregory
Here are more images emerging from the site of the expected search:
Madeleine McCann’s sister speaks publicly for first time
Monday 22 May 2023 17:57 , Andy Gregory
Just a fortnight ago, Madeleine McCann’s sister spoke publicly for the first time since her sibling’s disappearance 16 years ago.
At a vigil marking the anniversary, Amelie, now aged 18, said: “It’s nice that everyone is here together but it’s a sad occasion.”
The informal prayer meeting, attended by about 70 people, took place in the family’s home village of Rothley in Leicestershire on Wednesday evening. Parents Kate and Gerry McCann took part, although Sean, Amelie’s twin brother, did not.
They wrote: “Today marks the 16th anniversary of Madeleine’s abduction. Still missing .. still very much missed. It is hard to find the words to convey how we feel.”
Madeleine McCann’s sister speaks publicly for the first time since her disappearance
Who is Christian Brueckner?
Monday 22 May 2023 17:31 , Andy Gregory
Madeleine McCann’s disappearance has puzzled detectives for more than 15 years – but in 2020 a new potential suspect emerged. Now, police are searching a remote reservoir in Portugal’s the Algarve that he used to visit in a renewed effort to shed further light on the case.
German prisoner Christian Brueckner was first named in connection with the unsolved mystery that summer, and was officially named as a suspect by Portuguese police last April.
His yellow and white VW T3 Westfalia campervan was reportedly identified as having been near to the Praia da Luz resort in Portugal where the young girl went missing on 3 May, 2007.
My colleague Lucy Skoulding has more details:
All we know about Madeleine McCann suspect and the accusations against him
Timeline of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance
Monday 22 May 2023 17:04 , Andy Gregory
On 28 April 2007, the McCanns – affluent doctors Kate and Gerry, their three-year-old daughter Madeleine and her two-year-old twin siblings – joined a group of seven family friends and their five children on holiday at the Ocean Club in the village of Praia da Luz.
After a pleasant spring break by the sea, the adults in the party went out for dinner at the resort’s open-air tapas bar on 3 May, gathering at 8.30pm. The children were left behind sleeping in their respective apartments with the doors unlocked and a rota system in place among the parents to ensure that someone returned every half-hour to check on them.
When Kate McCann took her turn and returned to her apartment at 10pm, she raced back to the restaurant screaming “Madeleine’s gone! Someone’s taken her!” The police were quickly called and 60 staff and fellow guests searched the complex, calling out the girl’s name in vain until daybreak the following morning.
My colleague Joe Sommerlad has this extensive timeline of the events surrouding Madeleine’s disappearance:
When did Madeleine McCann go missing?
Search expected to last several days, local media claims
Monday 22 May 2023 16:43 , Andy Gregory
The searches are expected to take place for several days, mostly in the land near the reservoir, Portuguese broadcaster SIC reports.
The broadcaster speculates that the search may seek to find potential evidence such as clothing given that any biological evidence is likely to have already disappeared.
Mapped: Where is reservoir investigators are expected to search?
Monday 22 May 2023 16:26 , Andy Gregory
The below map shows the location of the Arade dam, where investigators are expected to conduct a major search related to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in 2007.
Suspect called reservoir ‘his little slice of paradise’, report claims
Monday 22 May 2023 16:07 , Andy Gregory
Christian Brueckner is believed to have called the reservoir his “little slice of paradise”, Portuguese broadcaster SIC reports.
The reservoir sits 50km from Praia de Luz, where Madeleine McCann went missing in May 2007.
Brueckner, who is serving jail time for raping an American pensioner in the same resort two years prior, is believed to have visited the reservoir on multiple occasions.
Images show authorities setting up tents near reservoir
Monday 22 May 2023 15:53 , Andy Gregory
Here are some images from close to the reservoir where authorities probing the disappearance of Madeleine McCann are expected to search.
Watch: Drone footage shows dam where police are expected to search
Monday 22 May 2023 15:35 , Andy Gregory
Christian Brueckner believed to have visited dam, insider says
Monday 22 May 2023 15:20 , Andy Gregory
A source said that the new search in Portugal is to be led by German investigators and is linked to information they have gleaned which suggests sole suspect Christian Brueckner made regular trips to the dam, reports Gerard Couzens.
The insider said: “Portuguese police will offer logistical support but the initiative is German and they were the ones that requested the work that is going to take place this week.
“Scotland Yard officers are due to travel to Portugal but theirs will be a watching brief.”
The McCanns are expected to be kept informed of any developments as a result of the new search through Scotland Yard liaison officers.
German police expected to release statement on Tuesday, report suggests
Monday 22 May 2023 15:15 , Andy Gregory
German police would not officially confirm the search at the Arade dam – some 50km from Praia da Luz – but indicated that reports of the investigation are correct, according to the BBC.
They are expected to release a statement on Tuesday, the broadcaster reported.
Madeleine McCann’s parents share message for missing daughter on her 20th birthday
Monday 22 May 2023 15:10 , Andy Gregory
The new search in Portugal comes just 10 days after Madeleine McCann’s parents shared a message for their lost child on her 20th birthday.
On the Facebook page Find Madeleine Campaign, they wrote: “Happy birthday Madeleine! We love you and we’re waiting for you. We’re never going to give up.”
The Leicestershire couple have continued to campaign despite more than 15 years passing since she went missing aged three in Praia da Luz, and they shared the message alongside a picture of Madeleine.
My colleague William Mata has more in this report:
Madeleine McCann’s parents send poignant message for her 20th birthday
Police to begin major search of Algarve reservoir frequented by Christian Brueckner
Monday 22 May 2023 15:07 , Andy Gregory
German police looking for Madeleine McCann will begin a major search of a remote Algarve reservoir suspect Christian Brueckner used to visit.
A peninsula just over a mile long jutting into the reservoir was sealed off just after midday on Monday. Several local council lorries were spotted on the piece of land as tents and other structures were erected.
Behind them in another area just under a mile away Portuguese Civil Protection workers were seen setting up a large blue tent alongside police who had erected their own blue tent.
An onlooker said: “There are around two dozen Policia Judiciaria officers who seem to be supervising things at this stage.”
Read the full report here:
Madeleine McCann police to search reservoir visited by key suspect
Monday 22 May 2023 14:52 , Andy Gregory
Good afternoon, we’ll be using this blog to post live updates on the investigation into Madeleine McCann’s disappearance, as authorities prepare to search at a remote reservoir in the Algarve.
