Maddie McCann, in Portugal, reopen research

The research related to the disappearance of Madeleine (Maddie) McCann, the English girl vanished in nothing on 3 May 2007 during a holiday with the family in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve, resumed in Portugal. At almost two decades from that day, The Portuguese and German authorities are patrolling a new areain the hope of finding useful traces.

On Monday, the Portuguese police confirmed the start of a new operation, arranged on the basis of a European mandate requested by the German magistrates. The research, which will last until Friday, focus on 21 plots of land between the Ocean Club (the resort from which Madeleine has disappeared) and the place where the main suspect lived at the timeChristian Brückner.

This morning, An autopp of the Portuguese firefighters and four German police vehicles arrived on the sitean extended and largely covered area of ​​vegetation, located about 5.6 kilometers from Praia da Luz. The access roads have already been closed since Monday, and a large blue curtain has been mounted next to some ruined buildings near the coast. According to reports, about thirty German agents will take part in the operation. Any evidence will emerge will be delivered to the German authorities.

The investigation into the disappearance of Maddie McCann, initially conducted by the Portuguese police with the support of Scotland Yard, It has officially passed under the guidance of German investigators in 2020, when the suspect was identified Christian Brückner48 -year -old German citizen.

The man is currently in prison in Germany, where He is serving a sentence for the rape of a 72 -year -old American touristwhich took place in 2005 in Portugal. It was expected to be released in September, but it could remain in prison until the beginning of 2026 if it does not pay a pending fine.

According to the German authorities, Brückner would be involved in the disappearance of Madeleine, who suspects was killed. But, at the moment, There is no sufficient evidence to formalize the charge of murder. Brückner, for his part, continues to deny any involvement. The Portuguese judiciary also indicated it as “arguid», Ie formal investigated.

It is not clear whether the current operation has been started following the discovery of new elements. The fact that the patrols concentrate on land already known suggests a final verification, “As if they wanted to give a last look in places where the body or tests may have been hidden“, They observe sources close to the investigation.

The suspicions about Brückner also based on a series of elements that emerged over time. A 2022 German documentary revealed that The man occasionally worked as a handyman right at the Ocean Club. In addition, the tables of his cell phone and the sale of a car are connected to the evening of the disappearance.

Brückner lived in the Algarve area between 2000 and 2017. Two years ago, Another research had been conducted near a water basin Where, according to some images, the man had gone in the past. The last evening in which Madeleine was seen, his parents dined with friends in a restaurant not far away. She slept in their ground floor apartment together with twin brothers. The mother, Kate McCann, noticed her absence around 10 pm.

The case is still the subject of investigation by the British Police Metropolitanwhich started the Grange operation in 2011 and has declared these days of being “aware of the research in progress in Portugal conducted by the German police”.

Last month, on the occasion of the eighteenth anniversary of the death, Madeleine’s parents reiterated their commitment in a public message: «Our determination to leave nothing of intended is unwavering».