Christian Brueckner, the German man long identified as the prime suspect in the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann, has publicly stated for the first time that he was in the immediate area that night — less than 500 feet from the holiday apartment — and was stopped by police three times while trying to leave.

Madeleine McCann was three years old when she disappeared from her family’s rented apartment in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz on the evening of May 3, 2007. Her parents had been dining nearby. The case remains one of the most high-profile unsolved missing-child investigations in Europe.

Brueckner, now 49, was named by German authorities as the main suspect in 2020. Portuguese police later formally designated him an “arguido.” He has never been charged in connection with Madeleine’s disappearance. He was released from prison in 2025 after completing a seven-year sentence for the 2005 rape of a 72-year-old American woman in the same Portuguese coastal area. He has prior convictions for serious offences.

In a recent interview with the Mail on Sunday, Brueckner said he was on the beach roughly 150 yards (about 450 feet) from the apartment complex that night. He claimed he had brought items into Portugal from Spain and was conducting illegal activity near the resort. He said his vehicle contained those items.

As police began searching the town after Madeleine was reported missing, Brueckner said he tried to leave the area quickly. He reported being stopped three times at checkpoints while officers were looking for the child. According to his account, the police did not discover what he was carrying, and he was allowed to continue. He described the area as filled with flashing blue lights and roadblocks, saying he simply wanted to get away.

Brueckner explained that he had previously chosen not to disclose this information because he believes law enforcement agencies want to frame him for the disappearance. He continues to deny any involvement. “I have nothing to do with the little girl’s disappearance,” he stated, adding that he would welcome the discovery of Madeleine so that the suspicion directed at him would end.

London’s Metropolitan Police, which leads the British side of the investigation under Operation Grange, said it remains in close contact with German and Portuguese authorities and will continue to examine any viable lines of inquiry. It is not yet clear whether Brueckner’s latest statements will produce new investigative steps.

The admission places Brueckner closer to the scene on the critical night than he had previously acknowledged in public, while he maintains that his presence was unrelated to Madeleine’s vanishing.

Sources : New York Post