Police wrap up search for McCann evidence in Portugal
Portuguese and German police are wrapping up their search in Portugal's southern Algarve region for evidence related to the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann 18 years ago.
There were no immediate announcements on the outcome of the operation as vans with German licence plates and a Portuguese police vehicle left one of the search sites in Atalaia, a neighbourhood of Lagos municipality.
A source involved in the operation said the searched area had included several derelict houses, wells and reservoirs covering "dozens of hectares".
McCann went missing on May 3, 2007 while on holiday with her family in the Algarve town of Praia da Luz, sparking a frenzied search and gaining the attention of the world's media.
She has never been found.
German police said in June 2020 that McCann was presumed dead and that German citizen Christian Brueckner was probably responsible.
He has denied responsibility.
Brueckner, a convicted child abuser and drug dealer, is behind bars in Germany for raping a 72-year-old woman in the same area of the Algarve.
His sentence runs until September, meaning he is set for release unless prosecutors find enough evidence to charge him over McCann's disappearance.
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The Advertiser
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"In the course of the ongoing criminal investigations, there are indications that a possible custody dispute may have been the trigger for the incident," police said. The three lived in the Passau area, the police added. The man, a 48-year-old Iraqi citizen, has been detained and is being questioned. It is unclear whether he has made a statement about the incident. A decision on whether the suspect will remain in custody is expected on Sunday. The Passau Criminal Police Inspectorate, together with the Passau Public Prosecutor's Office, has taken over the investigation. Based on current findings, the allegation is attempted homicide. The wife and daughter, along with three other injured individuals, are being treated in hospital. The severity of the injuries is not yet entirely clear but no one is in a life-threatening condition, a police spokesman said. The relationship between the other injured individuals and the family - if there is one - is not yet known, the spokesman added. The man drove his car into a group of people on the pavement in a street near Passau's main train station about 3.30pm. Police quickly assumed that the man had deliberately steered the vehicle into the group. People in the area alerted the police, and the injured were taken to hospital by ambulance. The scene of the incident was cordoned off and the car involved removed with a crane in the early evening. Police suspect a man who drove a car into a group of people in the southern German city of Passau, injuring five including his wife and their five-year-old child, was likely involved in a child custody dispute. "In the course of the ongoing criminal investigations, there are indications that a possible custody dispute may have been the trigger for the incident," police said. The three lived in the Passau area, the police added. The man, a 48-year-old Iraqi citizen, has been detained and is being questioned. It is unclear whether he has made a statement about the incident. A decision on whether the suspect will remain in custody is expected on Sunday. The Passau Criminal Police Inspectorate, together with the Passau Public Prosecutor's Office, has taken over the investigation. Based on current findings, the allegation is attempted homicide. The wife and daughter, along with three other injured individuals, are being treated in hospital. The severity of the injuries is not yet entirely clear but no one is in a life-threatening condition, a police spokesman said. The relationship between the other injured individuals and the family - if there is one - is not yet known, the spokesman added. The man drove his car into a group of people on the pavement in a street near Passau's main train station about 3.30pm. Police quickly assumed that the man had deliberately steered the vehicle into the group. People in the area alerted the police, and the injured were taken to hospital by ambulance. 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Man drives car into crowd in German city of Passau
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