The main suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has provided his first interview as authorities begin a new investigation.
Christian Brueckner, a German national and suspect in the Madeleine McCann case, has spoken out as law enforcement initiates another search for the missing child.
Madeleine McCann, a three-year-old from the UK, disappeared from her bed during a family vacation in Portugal in 2007. Her whereabouts have remained unknown since then.
Brueckner is currently imprisoned for the rape of a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005, a crime he claims he did not commit. He is scheduled for release this September unless additional charges are filed against him.
With detectives conducting a new search in Portugal for the missing girl, the 48-year-old prisoner has spoken from Sehnde Prison for the first time.
Ulrich Oppold, a journalist from German broadcaster RTL, visited Brueckner in Germany to discuss his potential release. Brueckner expressed a desire for a steak and beer upon release.
He also reportedly mentioned plans to leave Germany for a country without an extradition treaty and to go into hiding if released, claiming he is “as well-known as a colorful dog.”
The convicted sex offender stated: “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 lawyer, Philipp Marquort, previously mentioned that Brueckner might consider moving abroad and possibly undergoing plastic surgery.
Brueckner told the journalist that he was ‘assaulted’ by another inmate, resulting in a ‘broken rib.’
“I now stay in my cell 24 hours a day. I don’t go out. Not even for food,” he added.
Oppold described Brueckner after the interview as ‘intelligent’ but ‘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,” Oppold noted.
If authorities find evidence linking Brueckner to Madeleine’s disappearance, they could file additional charges to keep him in custody.
German police have called for a four-day search near Brueckner’s former residence close to the Praia da Luz holiday resort, where Madeleine went missing 18 years ago.
In 2020, Brueckner was identified as the main suspect, yet he has not been charged.
When interviewed, Brueckner refrained from answering questions about Madeleine following discussions with his attorneys.
He maintains his innocence regarding her disappearance.
This week, around 30 officers from Germany’s BKA, akin to the FBI, arrived in the Algarve resort as local police sealed off dirt roads to commence the renewed search.
This marks the first major search effort in over two years, concentrating on wells, water tanks, and ruins across 21 private properties over approximately 120 acres, according to The Daily Mail.
Authorities also plan to use radar technology for subterranean exploration.