New search in Portugal in Madeleine McCann case
LISBON — Portuguese and German police have launched a new search in Portugal this week as part of ongoing investigations into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
The search will cover the municipality of Lagos, which sits next to Praia da Luz, the town in the Algarve where she went missing nearly two decades ago.
Madeleine was three years old when she vanished from an apartment complex on 3 May 2007 while on holiday with her family.
Her disappearance sparked a Europe-wide police investigation, and has become one of the highest-profile unsolved missing person cases in the world.
Portuguese police confirmed on Monday that they were carrying out the search between 2-6 June on warrants issued by German prosecutors.
German investigators have taken the lead in the case since identifying 48-year-old Christian Brückner — who is currently in prison in Germany for a separate crime — as their prime suspect in 2020.German authorities suspect him of murder but have not found enough evidence to bring charges. Brückner has repeatedly denied any involvement.He is currently serving a sentence in Germany for raping a 72-year-old American tourist in Portugal in 2005.German authorities told the BBC on Monday that "criminal proceedings are currently underway in Portugal", and that this was being done with the support of Portugese police.Portuguese authorities have also named Brückner as a formal suspect, or "arguido". They said they would hand over any evidence seized in the latest search to German authorities.Meanwhile, the Met Police said: "We are aware of the searches being carried by the BKA (German federal police) in Portugal as part of their investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann."The search will be the first to take place in two years. The previous search in 2023 focused on a remote dam, a 40-minute drive from where Madeleine was last seen.Brückner, who spent time in the area between 2000 and 2017, was found to have photographs and videos of himself near the reservoir.Portuguese media reported on Monday that the new search would focus on the area between the Ocean Club holiday resort where the McCann family were staying and the house where Brückner used to live.A map showing the Ocean Club in Praia da Luz and two properties linked to the suspect in the German investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.The night Madeleine disappeared, her parents had been at dinner with friends at a restaurant a short walk away while Madeleine and her younger twin siblings were asleep in the ground-floor apartment.Her parents checked in on the children throughout the evening until her mother, Kate, discovered Madeleine was missing at around 22:00.German authorities continue to treat Brückner as their main suspect. However, prosecutors in Germany said earlier this year that there was "no prospect" of a charge against him relating to Madeleine's disappearance.A German documentary in 2022 found evidence that Brückner occasionally worked at the Ocean Club as a handyman, while German prosecutors have also linked his mobile phone data and a car sale to their case against him.Madeleine's parents last month marked the 18th year anniversary of her disappearance, saying their "determination to leave no stone unturned is unwavering".The Metropolitan Police continues its investigation into Madeleine's disappearance, known as Operation Grange, which has been going since 2011. — BBC
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
3 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Putin ‘strongly' vowed to respond to Ukraine's drone attack on Russian bombers: Trump
US President Donald Trump said he spoke to Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin Wednesday about Ukraine and Iran, warning that the Kremlin leader had 'very strongly' pledged to respond to Kyiv's stunning drone attack on Russian bombers. Trump said that there was no 'immediate peace' on the horizon in Ukraine – which Russia invaded in 2022 – following what he described as a one hour and 15 minute call with the Russian president. On Iran, Trump said that Putin had offered to 'participate' in talks on Tehran's nuclear program, as Trump accused the Islamic Republic of 'slowwalking' its response to Washington's offer of a deal. The call came three days after Ukraine conducted a massive, daring drone attack against Russian military airbases, saying it had destroyed several Russian nuclear-capable bombers worth billions of dollars. Trump said that he and Putin had 'discussed the attack on Russia's docked airplanes, by Ukraine and also various other attacks that have been taking place by both sides.' 'It was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace. President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields,' Trump said in his post. Trump did not say whether he had warned Putin off any such retaliation against Ukraine, which Washington has supported to the tune of billions of dollars in its fight against Russia. 'Definitive answer' The Republican has repeatedly alarmed Kyiv and Western allies by appearing to side with Putin over the war, and had a blazing Oval Office row with visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. But Trump has also showed growing frustration with Putin as Russia has so far derailed the US president's efforts to honor a campaign pledge to end the war within 24 hours – even if he never explained how this could be achieved. The call between Trump and Putin did however show that Washington and Moscow may be eying cooperation on another key global issue – Iran. Trump said he believed they were both 'in agreement' that Iran could not have a nuclear weapon, and that time was running out for Tehran to respond to US offers of a deal. 'President Putin suggested that he will participate in the discussions with Iran and that he could, perhaps, be helpful in getting this brought to a rapid conclusion,' Trump said. The US president added: 'It is my opinion that Iran has been slowwalking their decision on this very important matter, and we will need a definitive answer in a very short period of time!' Putin told his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian that Moscow was ready to help advance talks on a nuclear deal, the Kremlin said on Tuesday. But Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said earlier Wednesday that Washington's proposal was against Tehran's national interest, amid sharp differences over whether Tehran can continue to enrich uranium.
Arab News
8 hours ago
- Arab News
'Why this hatred': French town reels over killing of Tunisian man
PUGET-SUR-ARGENS, France: The murder of a Tunisian man by his French neighbor in southern France, which is being investigated as a terror crime, has horrified the local community and raised alarm over rising racism in the country. Tributes poured in from shocked neighbors and friends mourning the murder of Hichem Miraoui, with more than a dozen bouquets placed outside the barbershop where he worked in the quiet town of Puget-sur-Argens. 'I don't understand why he was killed. Why all this hatred?' said Sylvia Elvasorre, a 65-year-old pensioner who lives next to the hair salon, tears in her eyes. Marwouen Gharssalli, 43, echoed her disbelief, saying his friend was generous and willing to lend a helping hand. 'He even cut hair for free when people couldn't pay... he regularly used to cut my son's hair,' said Gharssalli, a welder in the southern town. A card signed by fellow shopkeepers said the death of Miraoui — remembered as hard-working and warm — would 'leave a void.' Christophe B., a French national, shot and killed Miraoui, 46, on Saturday evening before injuring another neighbor, a Turkish national. The suspect, born in 1971, was arrested after his partner alerted police. He posted racist videos on social media both before and after the attack, according to regional prosecutor Pierre Couttenier. A silent march is planned in Puget-sur-Argens on Sunday to affirm the city's 'absolute rejection of hatred and our commitment to respect, tolerance and fraternity,' said a town hall statement. The shooting followed the murder of a Malian man in a mosque in April, also in southern France, while the burning of a Qur'an near Lyon at the weekend has further fueled concerns over rising anti-Muslim attacks in the country. 'People are stunned that a racist crime like this could happen. This kind of thing is not part of Puget's culture,' said Paul Boudoube, the town's mayor. Miraoui was in a video call with family planning for the major Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Adha, when he was shot 'He was joking with our sick mother when I heard him grunt and the call ended,' said Hanen Miraoui, the victim's sister. According to French daily Le Parisien, the suspect in Miraoui's murder said he 'swore allegiance to the French flag' and called on the French to 'shoot' people of foreign origin in one of his videos posted on social media. Anti-terrorism prosecutors have taken over the investigation into the case, the first such racist attack linked to the far right to be dealt with as 'terrorism' since their office was set up in 2019. 'It means that investigative resources will be devoted to analizing the political motives behind this act and how this person became radicalized,' said the legal head of the anti-discrimination group SOS Racisme, Zelie Heran, who praised the referral. Following the murder, political and religious leaders have sounded the alarm over growing anti-Muslim acts in France, which increased by 72 percent in the first quarter, with 79 recorded cases, according to interior ministry figures. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who is taking an increasingly hard line on immigration issues, has faced accusations of not being firm enough against such crimes and even fueling a racist climate. But he said on Tuesday that the killing of Miraoui was 'clearly a racist crime,' 'probably also anti-Muslim' and 'perhaps also a terrorist crime.' Chems-Eddine Hafiz, the rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris, called on French President Emmanuel Macron to speak out. 'It is time to hold accountable the promoters of this hatred who, in political and media circles, act with complete impunity and incite extremely serious acts,' said Hafiz. 'Remind people of the reality that we are citizens of this country,' said Hafiz. France is home to the largest Muslim community in the European Union, as well as the largest Jewish population outside Israel and the United States. There has also been a rise in reported attacks against members of France's Jewish community since Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023 and the Israeli military responded with a devastating military offensive on the Gaza Strip. France's Holocaust memorial and three Paris synagogues and a restaurant were vandalized with paint on Saturday.
Saudi Gazette
8 hours ago
- Saudi Gazette
Teen TikTok star shot dead after man broke into her home
ISLAMABAD — A 22-year-old man has been arrested in Pakistan and confessed to the murder of 17-year-old social media influencer Sana Yousaf, according to police. Authorities say they believe Umar Hayat murdered Ms Yousaf at her home in Islamabad on Monday after she rejected what they called his "offers of friendship". He allegedly also repeatedly tried and failed, to meet her. They say he broke into her home, fired two shots, stole her phone and fled. Ms Yousaf's father, Syed Yousaf Hassan, told the BBC she was his only daughter and was "very brave". Her family have gathered in Chitral, where Ms Yousaf has been buried. Yousaf said she had never mentioned Hayat, nor any threatening behavior, before she was killed. He said Ms Yousaf's aunt was at the family home when the suspect broke in, and that he had also threatened to shoot her before fleeing. Ms Yousaf died before she could be taken to the hospital. Police said the "brutal" murder caused "a wave of concern" across the country, and that there was "immense" pressure to find the killer. They raided locations across the capital and the province of Punjab and scanned footage from 113 CCTV cameras. The suspected murder weapon and Ms Yousaf's phone have since been recovered. Ms Yousaf already had a wide following in Pakistan, with half a million fans on Instagram before her death. Condolences have flooded her social media pages. Her TikTok account gained hundreds of thousands of followers overnight, and now stands at more than a million. Her last video on Instagram, posted last week, showed her surrounded by balloons and cutting a cake for her birthday. Given her high profile in Pakistan, news of Ms Yousaf's death spread quickly in local news media and on social media platforms. It's also ignited a fierce debate about women on social media. While many have shared their outrage at news of Ms Yousaf's death, there has also been backlash towards her work as an influencer. Digital rights advocacy group Bolo Bhi has been monitoring the online reaction, and its director Usama Khilji said such criticism had been coming from a small portion of mostly male internet users - some of whom have cited religious grounds. "They're asking why she was putting up all this content, and even suggesting the family should take down her Instagram and TikTok accounts because they add to her 'sins'," Mr Khilji explained. Dr Farzana Bari, a prominent human rights activist, argued the reaction is "misogynistic" and "patriarchal". She said Ms Yousaf had "her own voice", and that the discourse online is a reminder that social media has become a "very threatening place for female content creators" in Pakistan. The Inspector General of Police for Islamabad, Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi, said women who choose to become social media influencers "deserve our encouragement and support". He added Ms Yousaf's murder was "tragic". Dr Bari said authorities condemning the incident publicly was a positive sign that could lead to change. The arrested suspect is the son of a former public servant. He is from the town of Faisalabad, in the province of Punjab, according to police. — BBC
