A major search operation is currently underway in Portugal as authorities make one last push to find any trace of missing Madeleine McCann.
If no new evidence turns up soon, the case’s main suspect, 48-year-old Christian Brückner, could walk free from prison in September.
Now, in a rare and unsettling interview, the convicted pedophile is speaking out about what he plans to do once he’s released — and what he said has left many deeply disturbed…
In a shocking twist to one of the most haunting child disappearance cases in modern history, the man suspected of being involved in Madeleine McCann’s vanishing has spoken publicly for the first time — from behind bars.
Christian Brueckner, the German national long suspected of playing a role in the British toddler’s disappearance during a family vacation in Portugal back in 2007, has finally broken his silence.
Now 48 and imprisoned in Germany, Brueckner gave an exclusive interview as investigators launched a brand-new search effort near his former home in the Algarve.
Madeleine was just three years old when she vanished from her bed while staying at the Praia da Luz resort with her family. Nearly two decades later, her disappearance remains one of the world’s most heartbreaking unsolved mysteries.
And now, with time running out before Brueckner’s expected release in September, the case has taken a new and urgent turn.
“I’m as well-known as a colorful dog”
Brueckner, who is currently serving time for the rape of a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005 — a crime he denies – told Ulrich Oppold, a journalist from German broadcaster RT that if he’s released, he plans to flee Germany for a country without an extradition treaty.
“I’m as well-known as a colorful dog,” he said, implying that he would go into hiding the moment he’s free.
In his prison interview, Brueckner also vented his anger over being painted as a monster by the media, claiming, “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.”
“I don’t go out. Not even for food.”
Speaking from his cell in Sehnde Prison, Brueckner painted a grim picture of his life behind bars. He claims he was recently assaulted by another inmate, breaking at least one rib, and now stays locked in his cell 24 hours a day.
“I don’t go out. Not even for food,” he said.
Oppold described Brueckner as “intelligent” but noted that he was emotionally 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.”
Plastic surgery and steak?
Brueckner’s lawyer Philipp Marquort has previously stated that his client has considered relocating abroad—and even undergoing plastic surgery — if released. During the interview, Brueckner admitted he’s dreaming of the simple things after prison: “a steak and beer.”
But if German authorities succeed in linking him to Madeleine’s disappearance, freedom may never come.
New search underway
Right as Brueckner’s prison interview went public, German authorities launched a massive four-day search near a location where he once lived — just miles from where Madeleine vanished. About 30 officers from the German equivalent of the FBI (the BKA) arrived in Portugal this week, closing off roads and scanning the area with radar equipment.
The search is focused on wells, underground tanks, and ruins across 21 private land plots, spanning roughly 120 acres—marking the first major investigative move in over two years.
Still no charges
Despite being named as the prime suspect in 2020, Brueckner has yet to be officially charged in connection to Madeleine’s disappearance. And during his conversation with the journalist, he refused to answer any direct questions about the girl after conferring with his lawyers.
He has repeatedly denied having anything to do with what happened to Madeleine McCann.
