McCann suspect Brueckner terrifies nightclub-goers after prison release

Christian Brueckner, the German man prosecutors have identified as the chief suspect in Madeleine McCann’s 2007 disappearance, terrified nightclub-goers during a boozy night out just 48 hours after his release from Sehnde Prison.

Witnesses described women screaming in alarm as Brueckner, 49, appeared at the venue, drawing recognition as the high-profile convicted sex offender.

Brueckner was released after serving six years of a seven-year sentence for the rape of a 72-year-old American tourist in Praia da Luz in 2005. Under the terms of his release, he must wear an electronic ankle monitor for five years, must declare a place of residence, and cannot leave Germany without permission. In addition, prosecutors say Brueckner remains under scrutiny in the McCann investigation and is their primary suspect, though authorities have not charged him due to insufficient evidence.

German prosecutors have repeatedly asserted Brueckner was in the Praia da Luz area around the time McCann disappeared, citing mobile-phone data, but the evidence has not yet produced formal charges. In October 2024, a German court cleared him of three counts of aggravated rape and two counts of sexual abuse of children stemming from decades prior; prosecutors said the ruling did not affect the McCann case. Brueckner has repeatedly denied involvement in McCann’s disappearance. Earlier this year, investigators conducted a renewed search along routes linking the McCanns’ hotel with addresses associated with Brueckner; those searches yielded no breakthroughs. Britain’s Metropolitan Police said they still want to interview Brueckner, though any interview would proceed via an International Letter of Request, which Brueckner declined to comply with.

Met investigators also noted they would continue to pursue any viable line of inquiry in the UK case. UK ministers approved more than £100,000 in extra funding for Scotland Yard in April to assist Operation Grange, bringing its total to more than £13.2 million since 2011. DCI Mark Cranwell, who leads the McCann inquiry, said the ILOR process governs interviews with the suspect and that authorities would pursue new leads as they arise.

Madeleine McCann disappeared on May 3, 2007, from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz while her parents dined nearby. Police in Germany said in 2020 that McCann is presumed dead and Brueckner is likely responsible, but prosecutors have not brought charges in the case. October’s court ruling in Brueckner’s favor on unrelated counts did not alter the McCann investigation.

Relatives of Brueckner’s alleged victims expressed alarm about his release and the potential danger he could pose. Authorities said they would continue to pursue viable avenues in the international probe, maintaining pressure on Brueckner’s case.