Madeleine McCann's parents issue statement as Portuguese police name suspect

Kate and Gerry McCann have said that they “welcome the news” of  Portuguese authorities naming the German national as a formal suspect, adding: “Even thought the possibility may be slim, we have not given up hope that Madeleine is still alive and we will be reunited with her.”

The full statement, signed “Kate & Gerry” reads: “We welcome the news that the Portuguese authorities have declared a German man an ‘arguido’ in relation to the disappearance of our beloved daughter Madeleine.

“This reflects progress in the investigation, being conducted by the Portuguese, German and British authorities. We are kept informed of developments by the Metropolitan Police.

Madeleine disappeared in Portugal in 2007 (PA)

“It is important to note the ‘arguido’ has not yet been charged with any specific crime related to Madeleine’s disappearance.

“Even though the possibility may be slim, we have not given up hope that Madeleine is still alive and we will be reunited with her.”

Christian Brueckner, 44, was identified as a murder suspect by German prosecutors in June 2020, but he has not been charged since then.

Investigators believe the convicted sex offender killed Madeleine, then three, after abducting her from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in May 2007.

A statement was issued on Thursday by the Portimao section of the Faro department of criminal investigation and prosecution which, according to a translation, says that a person was made an “arguido” – which translates as “named suspect” or “formal suspect” – a day earlier.

In Portuguese law, declaring arguido status can be a move before an arrest or the bringing of charges. 

Due to this move Brueckner, who is in prison in Germany, could be transferred to the Algarve for formal questioning.

The German newspaper Bild reported that Brueckner’s lawyer, Friedrich Fuelscher, said the Portuguese decision appeared to be a “procedural trick”.

Reports suggested the move could be linked to the country’s statute of limitations, which does not generally allow crimes which carry a maximum prison sentence to be prosecuted more than 15 years after they were committed.

This would mean Brueckner could no longer be charged in Portugal after May 3.

Brueckner, referred to as Christian B in Germany due to the country’s strict privacy laws, was found guilty in 2019 of the 2005 rape of a 72-year-old American woman in Praia da Luz, and sentenced to seven years in jail, at a court in Brunswick, Lower Saxony.

A federal court in Karlsruhe, a city in south-west Germany, rejected an appeal against the conviction in November 2020.

In Portuguese law, an arguido status can be a preliminary move ahead of an arrest being made or charges brought.

The Metropolitan Police continue to treat Madeleine’s disappearance as a missing persons inquiry.

When did Madeleine McCann disappear?

Madeleine's disappearance is one of the most famous missing persons cases in history. 

She vanished from her bed in a holiday apartment at a resort in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve region of Portugal in May 2007.

Her whereabouts remain unknown, although German prosecutors believe she is dead.

The case has continued through many bodies, including Scotland Yard and Portuguese authorities, but very little is still known about the incident.