Prime Suspect in McCann Case Claims Proximity to Apartment, Denies Involvement

Christian Brueckner, the prime suspect in the 2007 disappearance of Madeleine McCann, has stated he was approximately 150 yards from the holiday apartment where the three-year-old vanished. In an interview with The Mail on Sunday, Brueckner, a convicted rapist and paedophile, also claimed he was stopped by police three times in his van on the night of May 3, 2007, but was allowed to proceed without his vehicle being searched.

Brueckner, who is German and denies any involvement in McCann's disappearance, had previously remained silent about his whereabouts on the night she went missing from the Ocean Club resort in Praia da Luz, Portugal. Her parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, were dining with friends about 100 yards away at the time.

According to the interview, Brueckner stated he was on the beach near McCann's hotel selling drugs that night. He explained that he had smuggled cannabis into Portugal from Spain and that his van was full of drugs. He described being stopped by police multiple times while attempting a "quick getaway" amidst widespread police checkpoints and flashing blue lights, believing they were searching for McCann. He stated that he kept quiet previously because he felt police were trying to frame him for the case.

A source close to the McCann family commented that if Brueckner's account is true, it raises questions about missed opportunities by Portuguese police, who were criticized at the time for their response to the disappearance. In 2020, German prosecutors named Brueckner as their primary suspect, citing "concrete evidence" though not enough for a conviction. His mobile phone was traced to a location near the McCanns' accommodation on the evening Madeleine vanished.

Metropolitan Police detectives are reportedly seeking Brueckner's extradition to Britain to face charges related to abduction and murder. Brueckner has prior convictions for rape, theft, drug trafficking, assault, and child sexual abuse. He was released from a German prison in September of the previous year after serving six years for rape and was placed under surveillance. He is also reportedly under investigation for a 2015 sex attack on a nine-year-old girl in Germany.

German prosecutor Christian Wolters previously indicated that Brueckner's Portuguese phone received a significant 30-minute call from another Portuguese number at 7:32 p.m. on the evening of McCann's disappearance. However, Brueckner denied remembering using the mobile number or knowing the caller, Diogo Silva, in his interview.

In the days following McCann's disappearance, Brueckner reportedly re-registered a car and sold a camper van. He reiterated his innocence, stating that if McCann were found, it would prove he was wrongly accused. The Metropolitan Police have confirmed their investigation continues in collaboration with German and Portuguese authorities, pursuing all viable lines of inquiry.