Police racing to find Madeleine say 'It’s now or never' as Brueckner release looms

A major new search for the body of Madeleine McCann is underway today in Praia da Luz, Portugal, as police race against time to bring charges against the prime suspect.

Officers from Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), described as the country’s equivalent of the FBI, have arrived at the resort with high-tech ground-penetrating radar capable of scanning up to 15 feet below the surface reports The Sun. They are acting on a tip-off and believe the operation could be their final chance to find vital forensic evidence.

“It’s now or never,” a source said bluntly.

The focus is on extensive groundworks that took place around the time Madeleine, then three years old, vanished from her family’s holiday apartment at the Ocean Club in May 2007. Investigators believe her remains—or items such as her pyjamas—may have been disposed of in trenches nearby.

Around 30 German agents were seen putting up tents and sealing off roads in Atalaia, just outside Praia da Luz. Part of the search will include a cottage half a mile from the resort that was once used by Christian Brueckner, the main suspect in the case. He is currently serving a prison sentence in Germany for the rape of a US woman in the same region in 2005.

The area, previously a known shortcut for Brueckner, also connects to the property where the 2005 rape took place. According to sources, while Brueckner didn’t live at the cottage in May 2007, he is believed to have visited it frequently. A recent investigation by The Sun and Channel 4 revealed disturbing new evidence and locations linked to Brueckner.

“German cops know it is now or never so they need to push ahead with every credible tip they have,” one investigation source said. “Following Brueckner’s trial last year someone contacted them with theories on where anyone who took Madeleine might have dumped her, or her clothes.

“They told cops about trenches that were dug in Praia at the time Madeleine disappeared — and the house where Brueckner had lived on the edge of the village.

“Of course, all these places have been searched over and over again — but now they have a new weapon in their ground-scanning radar.”

The source added: “With time running out they are praying they get a breakthrough.”

There is no British police involvement in the current operation, which marks the first official police activity in Portugal since the Arade Dam, located about 30 miles away, was searched in 2023. That operation led to the collection of soil samples but failed to yield any conclusive evidence.

Unconfirmed reports have suggested German police received photos from a tipster pinpointing exact locations in Praia da Luz where Madeleine may have been buried—or where items belonging to her could have been dumped.

Brueckner, 48, remains the only suspect named in the case and continues to deny involvement. German investigators are desperate to secure new forensic evidence before his scheduled release on 17 September. His silence over key details, including a mysterious 30-minute phone call logged near the McCann apartment on the night she disappeared, has further complicated the investigation.

Police say the other party to that phone call has never been identified, and Brueckner refuses to answer questions about it.

A Portuguese police source confirmed: “These will be land searches only. The main objective is to look for any signs of Madeleine’s body.”

Portugal’s Policia Judiciaria said it is assisting the operation, which is being conducted under a search warrant issued by the Braunschweig public prosecutor’s office. It stated: “This is conducting preliminary proceedings against a German citizen suspected of the murder of British citizen Madeleine Beth McCann, who disappeared from a holiday resort in Praia da Luz on 3 May 2007.”

“All the evidence seized by the PJ will, with the prior authorisation of the national Public Prosecutor’s Office, be handed over to the agents of the German Federal Criminal Police Service.”

Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann from Rothley, Leicestershire, have long campaigned for the case to remain open.

During a previous trial, Brueckner was acquitted of unrelated sexual offences in Portugal, but police remain convinced of his link to the Madeleine case.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed: “We are aware of the searches in Portugal and will support our international colleagues where necessary.”