Christian Brueckner has sat down in an interview while cops search his former home for any evidence of the missing girl
The prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case has given his first interview amid a new search being launched.
German native Christian Brueckner, a suspect in the case concerning Madeleine McCann, has spoken out as cops launch a fresh search for the missing child.
The British three-old vanished from her bed while on vacation in Portugal in 2007 with her family, and it has remained a mystery what happened to the youngster ever since.
Brueckner is currently behind bars for the rape of a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005, which he denies, and is set to be released this September if no further charges are brought forward.
Now that investigators are searching for signs of the missing toddler in a new area of Portugal, the incarcerated 48-year-old has spoken out from his cell in Sehnde Prison for the first time.
Madeleine McCann: The Case Against Christian B
Christian Brueckner is considered the prime suspect in Madeleine McCann’s disappearance (MICHAEL MATTHEY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Ulrich Oppold, a journalist from German broadcaster RTL, visited Brueckner in Germany where they talked about his possible pending release with the prisoner saying he is most looking forward to a steak and beer.
He als\; o reportedly revealed he would leave Germany for a country with no extradition treaty and go into hiding if he does get out of prison, saying that he is ‘as well-known as a colorful dog.’
The convicted sex offender added: “The fact that I have been in prison for many years for something that I cannot have committed and that therefore, through the participation of the media, half the world considers me a cruel rapist.”
His attorney, Philipp Marquort, stated earlier this year that his client would consider relocating abroad and even plastic surgery.
Brueckner further claimed to the reporter that he was ‘assaulted’ by an inmate where ‘at least one rib was broken.’
Cops have descended on the area in Portugal as part of a fresh search (PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images)
“I now stay in my cell 24 hours a day. I don’t go out. Not even for food,” he added.
Oppold also commented after the interview how the prisoner seemed ‘intelligent’, if not ‘a little distant.’
“I think he had prepared himself very well for our conversation. He knew exactly what he wanted to say and, above all, what he didn’t want to say,” he added.
If investigators manage to link Brueckner to Maddie’s disappearance in any way, they could press further charges and keep him behind bars.
German cops have requested a four-day search near to the property Brueckner used to reside in, near the holiday resort of Praia da Luz where Maddie vanished 18 years ago.
Despite being named in 2020 as the prime suspect in the case, Brueckner has still not been charged.
He has denied any involvement to do with the girl’s disappearance (JULIAN STRATENSCHULTE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
When visited by the journalist, Brueckner also refused to answer any questions relating to Maddie following discussions with his lawyers.
He has denied any involvement in her disappearance.
Around 30 cops from Germany’s FBI, the BKA, arrived in the Algarve resort this week as Portuguese officers closed off dirt roads to launch the fresh search.
It’s the first major search for more than two years in the region, with a renewed focus on wells, water storage tanks and ruins across 21 plots of private land spanning around 120 acres, reports The Daily Mail.
Investigators are also reportedly planning on using radar equipment to scan under the ground.Featured Image Credit: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
Topics: Madeleine McCann, Crime, UK News, World News
Updated 12:03 7 May 2025 GMT+1Published 11:44 7 May 2025 GMT+1
Everything we know as police issue major update on Madeleine McCann after finding evidence which ‘indicates she’s dead’
Christian Brueckner is the main suspect in the case, but no charges have been brought against him
Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse and rape which some readers may find distressing
An investigation has revealed what evidence was discovered at a property owned by the main suspect in Madeleine McCann’s case in 2016.
On May 3, 2007, a three-year-old girl from Britain named Madeleine McCann disappeared from a holiday apartment complex in Praia da Luz, Portugal.
A Europe-wide police investigation was immediately launched, but over 15 years on, it’s still not been ascertained what happened to her.
Several years ago, a man named Christian Brueckner was named the prime suspect in Madeleine’s case after a dog led authorities to a suspected grave on the side of disused factory he owned in Neuwegersleben, central Germany. Brueckner has repeatedly denied any involvement.
An investigation by the Sun has now revealed what evidence was allegedly discovered.
The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann: Official Trailer
Credit: Netflix
Evidence discovered at Christian Brueckner’s property
The grave was reportedly found to contain the remains of Brueckner’s deceased dog, alongside a wallet with six USB sticks and two memory cards inside.
Brueckner allegedly bought the disused factory the year after Madeleine’s disappearance.
Alongside the technological devices, children’s clothes, including over 70 children’s swimming costumes, and toys, as well as masks, chemicals, and three guns and ammunition were reportedly found.
Christian Brueckner is the main suspect in Madeleine McCann’s case but no charges have been brought against him (Carabinieri Milano via Getty Images)
What was allegedly discovered on Brueckner’s USB and hard drive devices?
The USB and hard drives devices reportedly contain highly disturbing material confirming Brueckner’s alleged obsession with kidnapping children, records of Skype chats with paedophiles talking about children, and shocking child abuse images.
Written stories were also allegedly discovered, describing drugging a mom and daughter and abusing a four-year-old girl.
A photograph of Brueckner also allegedly links him to a location close to where Madeleine vanished.
It’s reported images found on the devices are ‘crucial’ evidence Madeleine likely died shortly after she went missing.
Months after the search was conducted in 2016, Brueckner was arrested and convicted of child abuse – unconnected to Madeleine’s case.
Madeleine McCann went missing at the age of three (FindMadeleine.com)
Previous cases against Brueckner
After images were discovered on his laptop, in February, 2016, Brueckner was convicted for abusing a five-year-old girl in a park. He went on the run but was then arrested in September, 2018 in Italy and extradited to Germany the next year.
In December, 2019, after his DNA was matched to the crime scene, Brueckner was found guilty of the rape of a woman in Praia da Luz in 2005 and sentenced to seven years – a sentence he is still currently serving.
He was later named as a suspect in Madeleine’s case in 2020, with German prosecutors stating for the first time they believe the missing girl is no longer alive.
However, in October 2024, Brueckner was cleared of carrying out five sex offences in Portugal between 2000 and 2017 and prosecutors also haven’t charged him in relation to Madeleine’s case.
The Sun’s full investigation airs on Channel 4 at 9pm (GMT) today (May 7).
UNILAD has contacted Brueckner’s representative for comment.
If you’ve been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.orgFeatured Image Credit: PA
Topics: Crime, Madeleine McCann, Police, True crime, World News
