Madeleine McCann: Portuguese authorities declare formal suspect

Portuguese prosecutors have named a German guy as an official suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

Christian Brueckner has been designated as an "arguido," although the suspect's identity has yet to be revealed by Portuguese authorities.

In the year 2020, German police revealed that they were looking into his involvement in Madeleine's disappearance.

Brueckner has not been charged in the case and denies any involvement.

At the request of Portuguese prosecutors in Faro, German officials informed him that he was a suspect.

Madeleine, a three-year-old girl, vanished in 2007 while on vacation with her family in Praia da Luz.

She has never been discovered, and investigators suspect she was kidnapped from the family's holiday accommodation in the Algarve resort.

Prosecutors in Faro, the Algarve's capital, said on Thursday that a person had been named an "arguido" - which translates to "named suspect," "formal suspect," or "person of interest" - the day before.

On May 3, it will be 15 years after Madeleine was reported missing, and under Portuguese law, declaring someone a person of interest after that date is no longer allowed. A person's status as a person of interest must be established before any criminal charges can be filed.

However, Portugal's office of public prosecutions stated in a statement that the move was motivated by "strong indicators" of criminal activity rather than time.

He is currently serving a prison sentence for drug offenses in Germany and was also given a seven-year term for raping a 72-year-old woman.

The Metropolitan Police continue to treat Madeleine's disappearance as a missing person inquiry.