FRESH hopes have been ignited in the hunt for Madeleine McCann after Portuguese cops today erected police tents and sealed off dirt roads near the former home of suspect Christian Brueckner.
Officers from the Policia Judiciaria were spotted setting up a large police operation near Praia da Luz — just hours before a major new search is set to begin.
SolarpixPolice set up tents in preparation for the search for Madeleine McCann tomorrow[/caption]
AFPThe tot disappeared in Praia da Luz, Portugal on May 3, 2007[/caption]
AFPChristian B is main suspect in Madeleine’s disappearance[/caption]
Pictures show white and blue forensic tents pitched in a remote scrubland area, close to a crumbling cottage where Brueckner once lived.
Cops could be seen taping off dusty tracks and preparing the ground for what could be a breakthrough moment in the 17-year-old case.
The location — on the outskirts of the Algarve resort where Maddie vanished in 2007 — is the latest focus of the long-running investigation into the missing British tot, now believed to have been murdered.
A well-placed source said: “They will be land searches only. The main objective is to look for any signs of Madeleine’s body.”
The sweeping new probe — requested by German police and greenlit by Portuguese authorities — will run from June 2 to June 6, with officers expected to comb 21 pieces of privately-owned land.
Wells, water tanks and ruins around the site are all set to be examined, amid fears Madeleine’s remains may have been hidden in the area.
The PJ confirmed: “The Polícia Judiciária is complying with a European Investigation Decision issued by the German authorities… with a view to carrying out a wide range of measures, specifically search warrants.”
They added all evidence seized will be handed to German cops, who are spearheading the investigation into Brueckner, currently jailed in Germany for rape.
The searches come with growing urgency, as Brueckner’s prison term is due to end in September.
He has denied any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance, and has not been charged — despite being named the prime suspect in 2020.
Sources say the search site was identified after new information came to light, but it’s unclear whether a fresh tip-off sparked this week’s activity.
German forensic experts—who were also present at last year’s failed Arade Dam search — are expected to be heavily involved again.
It marks the first search in Portugal for more than two years, and hopes are high it could finally uncover vital evidence in the world’s most infamous missing child case.
It comes just weeks after The Sun revealed bombshell findings showing disturbing evidence allegedly unearthed in Brueckner’s abandoned lair.
Children’s clothes, toys, masks, guns, chemicals and a hard drive packed with photos — still kept secret by German police — were found buried beneath the body of his dead dog in a disused box factory he bought a year after Maddie disappeared.
One source told The Sun: “The clock is against the case here and investigators do not want to see Brueckner walk free.
Madeleine has now been missing for 18 yearsAFP
AFPThe apartment where the three-year-old went missing from in 2007[/caption]
“Their best option could be intervention from UK cops but they have to be prepared to take it on.
“There are 20,000 pages of Madeleine evidence and the Germans are ready to translate the lot.”
A 2023 operation marked the first large-scale search for Madeleine McCann in Portugal in nearly a decade.
For three days, teams combed the banks of a remote reservoir — 31 miles from the Ocean Club apartment in Praia da Luz where Madeleine disappeared.
Brueckner is said to have called the dam “his little paradise.”
During the sweep, officers dug two-foot-deep holes around a nearby so-called “hippy camp,” but found no trace of the missing girl.
That search followed a major 2014 effort by British police, who used body-sniffer dogs and ground-penetrating radar in Praia da Luz.
Those digs were based on a theory that Madeleine may have died during a burglary and her body was hidden nearby.
TIMELINE OF EVENTS
Here’s a timeline of the case which has gripped the world.
May 3, 2007
Madeleine McCann disappears from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, sparking a massive police search and becoming one of the most famous missing persons cases in history.
January 15, 2016
Neighbour reports a possible ‘grave’ at Brueckner’s abandoned factory in East Germany.
Cops find disturbing images on USB sticks and launch a full-scale search.
February 16, 2016
Christian Brueckner is convicted for abusing a girl of five in a park after images found on his laptop.
He was sentenced to 15-months behind bars but was already on the run by then.
May 3, 2017
Around this time, Helge B calls an information hotline after watching a ten-year anniversary special on the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
He reports an alleged confession by Christian Brueckner.
September 27, 2018
On-the-run Christian Brueckner is arrested over outstanding drugs claims in Italy.
He is extradited to Germany the following year.
December 16, 2019
Christian Brueckner was convicted, in Germany, for the 2005 rape of an American woman in Praia da Luz, Portugal, after his DNA was matched to a hair found on her bed.
He was sentenced to seven years behind bars.
June 4, 2020
German prosecutors reveal to the world they have a suspect in custody under investigation for the abduction of Madeleine McCann.
For the first time they claim Madeleine is dead.
German media later name him as Christian B (Christian Brueckner).
June 23, 2023
In his first interview, witness Helge B alleges to German newspaper Bild that Christian Brueckner all-but-confessed the Madeleine abduction to him, by allegedly saying “she didn’t scream” as they talked about the case, at a music festival, in Spain.
February 16, 2024
Brueckner goes on trial accused of none-McCann allegations of rape and sex assault, in Braunschweig, Germany.
Prosecutors hope for a conviction to keep him behind bars permanently and lead to McCann charges.
October 8, 2024
Brueckner was acquitted of all claims.
Prosecutors launch an appeal, however. Decision pending.
September 17, 2025
Date on which Christian Brueckner will be released from custody without action being taken.
Prosecutors require an arrest warrant for a retrial over claims from last year – or over the McCann case.
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