German prosecutors say they are 'sure' that Christian Brueckner killed the toddler.
It has been claimed that police have found evidence linking long-term suspect Christian Brueckner to the
disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
Journalist Sandra Felgueiras says a Portuguese police source has told her an "item" belonging to Madeleine was found in the yellow and white VW van which Brueckner was living in at the time of the toddler's disappearance from the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz in 2007.
In a TV documentary aired on Tuesday night, Felgueiras asked German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters about the claims, the
Mirror reports. He refused to confirm or deny whether evidence had been found in the van.
Felgueiras asked: “Is it true you did find something belonging to Madeleine in the caravan of Christian B?”
Wolters said: “I can’t comment on details of the investigation.”
Felgueiras added: “But you can’t deny it, can you?”
Mr Wolters replied: “I don’t want to deny it” — and qualified his statement later, adding “because the suspect has not yet been informed”.
Under German law, details of a police investigation cannot be made public until a suspect and their legal team are given full details of the case against them.
In the same interview, Wolters said he was "sure" the toddler was murdered by Brueckner.
He said the investigation had "found new facts and new evidence."
Police are still waiting for the results of DNA testing carried out on Brueckner's van, but it is not thought Madeleine's DNA has been found.
In April, Portuguese prosecutors announced they had
identified an official suspect in the investigation into Maddie's disappearance.
Although they did not identify who the suspect was, they confirmed they were acting at the request of German authorities, and it is thought the suspect is Brueckner.
German police have been investigating the convicted rapist in relation to the case since 2020, but have yet to charge him.
Known as Christian B in Germany because of the country's privacy laws, he denies any involvement in Maddie's disappearance and
claims to have an alibi for the night she went missing.
