Madeleine McCann: German prisoner identified as suspect
A 43-year-old German prisoner who travelled around Portugal
in a camper van is now the focus of Scotland Yard's investigation into the
disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
Police believe he was in the area where the three-year-old
was last seen in May 2007.
They are appealing for information about the van and the
suspect's other vehicle, a Jaguar.
The man transferred it to someone else's name the day after
she vanished.
"Someone out there knows a lot more than they're
letting on,"said DCI Mark Cranwell, who's leading the Met inquiry.
The force said it remained a "missing persons"
investigation because it doesn't have "definitive evidence" as to
whether Madeleine is alive or not.
However, German investigators at the Federal Criminal Police
Office, the Bundeskriminalamt (BKA), have classed it as a "murder
inquiry".
Scotland Yard said the German authorities had taken the lead
on this aspect of the case because the German suspect was in custody in their
country.
Detectives said he was in jail for an "unrelated
matter" and had "previous convictions", but they declined to
supply more details.
'Critical' information
An appeal on German television was broadcast this evening at
19:15 BST.
DCI Cranwell said the prisoner, then aged 30, frequented the
Algarve between 1995 and 2007, staying for "days upon end" in his
camper van and living a "transient lifestyle".
He was in the Praia de Luz area where the McCann family was
staying when she disappeared and received a phone call at 7.32pm, which ended
at 8.02pm.
Police have released details of the suspect's phone number
and the number he dialled saying any information about them could be
"critical" to the inquiry.
They also want the person who called the suspect to come
forward.
"They're a key witness and we urge them to get in
touch," said DCI Cranwell.
"Some people will know the man we're describing
today... you may be aware of some of the things he's done," he said.
"He may have confided in you about the disappearance of
Madeleine.
"More than 13 years have passed and your loyalties may
have changed," he added.
"Now is the time to come forward."
Police said the suspect was one of 600 people that
detectives on the inquiry, known as Operation Grange, originally looked at,
though he had not been a suspect.
After an appeal in 2017, "significant" fresh
information about him was provided.
Since then, Met detectives have carried out "extensive
inquiries" in Portugal and Germany in order to gather more details about
him.
Scotland Yard said they were trying to "prove or
disprove" his involvement in the case and retained an "open
mind".
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