Bombshell Madeleine McCann breakthrough as Met seize possession of prime suspect recordsdata

In a major update, the Met have been given police files concerning convicted rapist Christian Brueckner ,who is the prime suspect behind the disappearance of Madeleine McCann

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Madeleine McCann prime suspect Christian Brueckner(Image: Phil Harris)

Madeleine McCann investigators at the Met have taken possession of police files of an individual that they deem to be a crucial suspect surrounding the girl’s disappearance.

The bombshell development comes after the prime suspect Christian Brueckner, a 49-year-old sex offender, was spotted with a new beard and tash while he cycled to an Aldi branch in Kiel, Germany. Police in the country have been ordered to keep the man safe from potential threats. However despite their efforts last week they lost track of the man for a whole 24 hours.

The Met have attained a dossier from German police on information surrounding Brueckner who is a convicted paedophile. German police have claimed to have physical evidence linking Brueckner to Maddie’s suspected death – but claim they don’t have anything forensic.

Last year it was unearthed that a hard-drive existed with picture files on it from Portugal at the time Madeleine disappeared.

These files are said to be central to German police’s understanding of the case. However no official comment has been made so far by prosecutors. A source said: “These developments are huge — it shows the Met’s interest in Brueckner is real. They are after him — like the Germans.”

In 2025 the Met increased their activity in the search to uncover what happened to the girl. Last year a documentary about the German nonce Brueckner revealed naked pictures of the creep at a key location where police search in relation to the Maddie’s investigation.

Online chats between the child predators were also uncovered detailing him bragging about his desperation to “take something small and use it for days”.

The German nonce served a seven-year jail term in Germany for the 2005 rape of an American woman in Portugal, and was released on September 17 last year.

In a statement issued last night the Met said: “Our investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance has been active since 2011. We remain in close discussion with policing colleagues in Germany and Portugal. It added: “We will continue to pursue any viable lines of enquiry.”

The development comes as Madeleine McCann’s family has vowed to continue their fight for “justice” and “to make the world that bit safer” on the grim 19th anniversary of her disappearance, last month.

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Her parents Kate and Gerry and twin siblings Sean and Amelie, now 21, posted a statement on the official Find Madeleine website vowing to ‘never give up’ the search for her.

They thanked the police and ‘authorities’ for their ‘continued determination and effort’ to trace the youngster who vanished from their rented Portuguese holiday apartment on May 3 2007.

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