Latest news with #GermanPolice
BBC News
10 hours ago
- BBC News
Madeleine McCann search in Portugal ends after three days
The fresh search for Madeleine McCann has ended after investigators spent three days in areas near to where the three-year-old disappeared 18 years ago in investigators left the search area at about 17:15 local time before Portuguese counterparts then removed the outer cordon from the disappeared while on holiday with her parents in Praia da Luz on 3 May 2007, sparking a Europe-wide police investigation that has become one of the highest-profile missing persons is unlikely authorities will disclose the result of the search for several weeks but a conversation the BBC had with one officer suggested nothing significant was found. Police officers on Thursday were seen holding pitchforks as they combed land in the area on the outskirts of the municipality of Lagos and some used pick-axes and shovels to dig some of the undergrowth.A digger was used to remove rubble from one of the abandoned structures at the search in the day tents erected as part of the base area for investigators started to be taken were seen loading vans parked near the police officers' base area in Atalaia, and German and Portuguese officers were seen shaking hands and embracing as the search drew to a and specialist equipment were brought in to help scour scrubland and abandoned buildings on Wednesday. On the night Madeleine disappeared, her parents had been at dinner with friends at a restaurant a short walk away while their three-year-old daughter and her younger twin siblings were asleep in the ground-floor case was initially handled by the Portuguese authorities with the aid of the Metropolitan police took the lead in 2020 when they identified German national Christian Brückner as their prime suspect, who is known to have spent time in the same part of Portugal between 2000 and authorities suspect him of murder. British police continue to treat the case as a missing persons has repeatedly denied any involvement and no charges have been brought against him relating to Madeleine's 48-year-old is serving a prison sentence in Germany for an unrelated rape case and could be released as early as prosecutors approved a European warrant to allow German teams to conduct the searches on private search took place between where Madeleine vanished and where the German investigators' prime suspect was staying at the time. Last month, Kate and Gerry McCann marked the 18th year anniversary of their daughter's disappearance, saying their "determination to leave no stone unturned is unwavering".However they would not comment during the "active police investigation", staff at the Find Madeleine Campaign said.
Reuters
11 hours ago
- General
- Reuters
Police wrap up search for Madeleine McCann evidence in Portugal's Algarve
LISBON, June 5 (Reuters) - Portuguese and German police were on Thursday 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 license 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 national 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.
The Guardian
11 hours ago
- General
- The Guardian
Police conclude searches in Portugal in Madeleine McCann investigation
Searches for Madeleine McCann in Portugal on land a mile from where the British toddler was last seen in 2007 have concluded. German and Portuguese investigators embraced each other on Thursday afternoon after three days of scouring scrubland and abandoned farmhouses close to the resort of Praia da Luz. Their efforts focused on a 120-acre stretch of land, using equipment such as chainsaws, drones, diggers and a ground-penetrating radar. There have been no obvious signs of any major discovery from the operation, which comes 18 years after the three-year-old disappeared from Praia da Luz while her parents were out having dinner, leaving her sleeping in a nearby room with her toddler twin siblings. CNN Portugal reported that animal bones and adult clothing had been found, while the Correio da Manhã newspaper said material collected from one of the many derelict houses had been sent off for analysis. On Thursday, search teams of German and Portuguese police officers, as well as firefighters, used pick-axes and shovels to dig some of the undergrowth in the area. A digger was again used to remove rubble from one of the abandoned structures. Investigators have also deployed ground penetrating radar technology that can identify anomalies under the surface. They began winding down the searches in Atalaia, near Lagos, on Thursday afternoon. At around 5pm the German and Portuguese teams were seen having a debrief before shaking hands and embracing. There was a round of applause before one officer was seen carrying a crate of German beerr. After the beers were carried away, some officers struggled to grapple with the tents they were taking down because of the blustery conditions. As they packed up, officers could be seen carrying equipment such as bins, boxes and folding tables away from their base area. Personnel also loaded vans, which were parked at the base area near to abandoned buildings, with some of the equipment used in the searches. Earlier in the day, a group of 15 officers had taken part in a hillside briefing by a derelict farmhouse. Police were then seen carrying out fingertip searches of shrubbery outside the property. Sign up to Headlines Europe A digest of the morning's main headlines from the Europe edition emailed direct to you every week day after newsletter promotion The search is being carried out at the request of the German federal police, as they look for evidence that could implicate the prime suspect, Christian Brückner, who is in prison for raping a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005. Brückner, who was living in a nearby cottage at the time of Madeleine's disappearance, has repeatedly denied any involvement. He is due to be released from jail in September if no further charges are brought. In October last year, he was cleared by a German court of unrelated sexual offences alleged to have taken place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. British officers have not been present at the latest searches, the Metropolitan police said.
News.com.au
12 hours ago
- General
- News.com.au
New search in Madeleine McCann case finished: Portuguese police
A new search launched this week into the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann ended Thursday, said police in Portugal, where she went missing 18 years ago. Investigators, who spent three days scouring areas near the southern beach resort where Madeleine disappeared during a family holiday, did not detail the results of their latest searches. Madeleine was just three years old when she vanished from the apartment where her family was vacationing on the Algarve coast, triggering a race to find her -- and massive global media coverage. The new search, which began Tuesday, was carried out at the request of investigators in Germany, who are probing whether a convicted German sex offender was implicated in the disappearance. Between Tuesday morning and Thursday afternoon, around 25 German police officers assisting Portuguese authorities searched for evidence near the Praia da Luz seaside resort, where Madeleine disappeared on May 3, 2007, while her parents had dinner nearby. Using shovels, rakes and a weed whip, investigators combed an overgrown wooded area bordered by several dilapidated, abandoned houses between Praia da Luz and the nearby city of Lagos, said AFP journalists at the scene. They also used ground-penetrating radar and an excavator to search another area around the village of Atalaia, Portuguese media reports said. A previous search in 2023 of a lake near the Ocean Club resort in Praia da Luz yielded no results. That is near one of the lodgings where Christian Brueckner, a convicted rapist now serving a prison sentence in his native Germany, stayed during a stint in Portugal in the 1990s and 2000s. Brueckner, a drifter with a criminal record, was living in a camper van on the Algarve coast at the time Madeleine vanished. A mobile phone registered in his name was traced close to the family's accommodation on the night she went missing. Authorities have played down expectations for the new search effort. "As to whether or not something will be found, personally I'd remain rather prudent towards the results we can expect," Christian Wolters, a spokesman for the Braunschweig prosecutor's office in Germany, which issued the new search warrant, told AFP on Tuesday. - 'Cruel rapist' - Brueckner, 48, is serving a seven-year sentence for the 2005 rape of a 72-year-old American woman in Praia da Luz. He is due to complete his sentence in September. He was acquitted in October 2024 in Germany at a trial for two other sexual assaults and three rapes committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. German authorities in 2020 said they were convinced Brueckner was involved in Madeleine's disappearance, which gained worldwide publicity and has seen several false leads. He has not been charged in connection with the McCann case. Brueckner, who according to German media had a string of previous convictions, including for sexual offences, assault and theft before he was convicted of rape, worked as an odd-job man during his 10 years in the Algarve. He also burgled hotel rooms and holiday apartments. On Tuesday, a journalist from Germany's RTL television recounted his correspondence with Brueckner, and how he had met him in prison. Brueckner, the journalist said, complained that "half the world" considered him a "cruel rapist". He said he wanted to eat steak and drink beer when he is released from prison. A former neighbour in Portugal had told Sky News television in 2020 that Brueckner was "always a bit angry, driving fast up and down the lane, and then one day, around 2006, he just disappeared without a word". He returned to Germany in 2007 -- the year Madeleine disappeared -- settling in Hanover, but still spent time in Portugal. On the 18th anniversary of their daughter's disappearance this year, Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, said they were still determined to find out what happened. "The absence still aches," they wrote on their website last year.
RNZ News
12 hours ago
- General
- RNZ News
New search in Madeleine McCann case finished: Portuguese police
By Levi Fernandes , AFP Madeleine McCann went missing 18 years ago. Photo: AFP / Metropolitan Police A new search launched this week into the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann ended on Thursday, said police in Portugal, where she went missing 18 years ago. Investigators, who spent three days scouring areas near the southern beach resort where Madeleine disappeared during a family holiday, did not detail the results of their latest searches. Madeleine was just three years old when she vanished from the apartment where her family was vacationing on the Algarve coast, triggering a race to find her - and massive global media coverage. The new search, which began on Tuesday, was carried out at the request of investigators in Germany, who are probing whether a convicted German sex offender was implicated in the disappearance. Between Tuesday morning and Thursday afternoon, around 25 German police officers assisting Portuguese authorities searched for evidence near the Praia da Luz seaside resort, where Madeleine disappeared on May 3, 2007, while her parents had dinner nearby. Using shovels, rakes and a weed whip, investigators combed an overgrown wooded area bordered by several dilapidated, abandoned houses between Praia da Luz and the nearby city of Lagos, said AFP journalists at the scene. They also used ground-penetrating radar and an excavator to search another area around the village of Atalaia, Portuguese media reports said. A previous search in 2023 of a lake near the Ocean Club resort in Praia da Luz yielded no results. That is near one of the lodgings where Christian Brueckner, a convicted rapist now serving a prison sentence in his native Germany, stayed during a stint in Portugal in the 1990s and 2000s. Brueckner, a drifter with a criminal record, was living in a camper van on the Algarve coast at the time Madeleine vanished. A mobile phone registered in his name was traced close to the family's accommodation on the night she went missing. Authorities have played down expectations for the new search effort. "As to whether or not something will be found, personally I'd remain rather prudent towards the results we can expect," Christian Wolters, a spokesman for the Braunschweig prosecutor's office in Germany, which issued the new search warrant, told AFP on Tuesday. Brueckner, 48, is serving a seven-year sentence for the 2005 rape of a 72-year-old American woman in Praia da Luz. He is due to complete his sentence in September. He was acquitted in October 2024 in Germany at a trial for two other sexual assaults and three rapes committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. German authorities in 2020 said they were convinced Brueckner was involved in Madeleine's disappearance, which gained worldwide publicity and has seen several false leads. He has not been charged in connection with the McCann case. Brueckner, who according to German media had a string of previous convictions, including for sexual offences, assault and theft before he was convicted of rape, worked as an odd-job man during his 10 years in the Algarve. He also burgled hotel rooms and holiday apartments. On Tuesday, a journalist from Germany's RTL television recounted his correspondence with Brueckner, and how he had met him in prison. Brueckner, the journalist said, complained that "half the world" considered him a "cruel rapist". He said he wanted to eat steak and drink beer when he is released from prison. A former neighbour in Portugal had told Sky News television in 2020 that Brueckner was "always a bit angry, driving fast up and down the lane, and then one day, around 2006, he just disappeared without a word". He returned to Germany in 2007 - the year Madeleine disappeared - settling in Hanover, but still spent time in Portugal. On the 18th anniversary of their daughter's disappearance this year, Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, said they were still determined to find out what happened. "The absence still aches," they wrote on their website last year. - AFP
