THE gun found during the fresh search for Madeleine McCann has been revealed as a 6.35 calibre pistol, well-placed sources said today.
The gun was reportedly discovered during the three-day search operation last week near to lead suspect Christian Brueckner’s former ramshackle cottage in the Praia da Luz area.
Madeleine vanished on May 3, 2007, while on holiday with her family in Praia da Luz in Portugal
Christian Brueckner is the lead suspect in the girl’s disappearance
AFPPortuguese police spent three days searching for clues around Maddie last week[/caption]
Young Madeleine vanished on May 3, 2007, around the same area where Brueckner lived in Portugal, it is believed.
The 48-year-old German sex offender is said to have carried a gun with him during his time living in the Algarve.
Watch The Sun’s exclusive documentary on the Maddie case here
Further details on the gun emerged hours after German prosecutors praised Portuguese police for their work looking around the scrubland which appeared to be abruptly called off.
Typically 6.35 calibre guns are small, pocket-sized, semi-automatic pistols which are used for self-defence or target practice.
The gun is unlikely to have been used as a “lethal weapon” although tests are understood to be ongoing, reports Portuguese daily Correio da Manha.
A second gun was also found during the renewed hunt for clues.
German cops have ruled it out as having any link to Maddie due to it being 50 years old and described by Portuguese sources as a “rusting relic.”
The three-day search had widely been labeled a flop after police appeared to leave the site next to Praia da Luz empty-handed last week.
But Luis Neves, the National Director of the Policia Judiciaria police force insisted the searches had “not been in vain”.
As eagle-eyed police did find tiny fragments, which they are speculating could have links to Maddie after prime suspect Brueckner wild camped at the site.
The samples were sent to Germany for testing amid hopes they could finally reveal the forensic link cops are missing on the case.
Cops are understood to have found clothes and animal bones during the extensive search through an area known as Brueckner’s “rat run”.
Without evidence pinning it to the convicted German rapist, prosecutors risk not being able to get the arrest warrant they need to keep Brueckner behind bars.
The claims were made in the Berlin Morning Post.
A source said: “Several objects have apparently been discovered, which are now being examined in more detail by the police in the laboratory.
“As Portuguese media report, clothing debris and bones were found, among other things.
“The investigators have not officially commented on whether the finds could have anything to do with Madeleine’s disappearance but that is clearly their hope.”
The search took place around an area of scrubland which is located close to where the British toddler was staying with her parents back in 2007.
The little girl was aged just three when she vanished and has never been found since despite extensive searches.
German and Portuguese police used JCB-type machines and ground-penetrating radar but found “nothing of consequence”.
This quickly dashed hopes of pinning Brueckner with fresh DNA evidence until the latest developments today.
It comes as The Sun uncovered new Maddie evidence in a bombshell documentary.
The world exclusive doc lifts the lid on gripping new information and reveals why Brueckner is the prime suspect.
Our compelling investigation unveils the horrors found at his abandoned factory lair – and his obsession with small children.
Madeleine McCann: Inside the Secret Evidence is now available to watch online for free on our YouTube page.
The dossier of overwhelming circumstantial evidence includes exclusive images of kids’ swimming costumes, a toddler bike and toys found at his property.
We also reveal how cops found a mask, guns and child kidnap stories where Brueckner describes using kidnap chemical ether to take a mum and tot outside a preschool.
Our documentary on the police files represents the biggest leap forwards in understanding of the case since German police revealed Brueckner as a suspect in 2020.
It contains an interview with Irish holiday rep Hazel Behan, 41, who Brueckner was cleared of raping in 2005 at trial in Germany last year.
Hear from experts at The Sun and in Germany about the ongoing race against time to stop dangerous Brueckner being released in as little as three months.
Christian Brueckner refuses to answer police questions or provide an alibi, but has never been formally charged over the disappearance of murder of Madeleine McCann.
He has insisted his innocence in letters while his lawyers continue to maintain he had nothing to do with the taking or killing of Maddie.
Dan CharityTwo guns were found in the searches with one already being ruled out as potential evidence[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
