Based on a request by German police, Portuguese police are searching the area of a dam in the southern Portuguese region of Algarve for the remains of Madeleine McCann, the three-year-old English girl who disappeared in that area in 2007 while her family was vacationing in Portugal. No trace of her has ever been found. The case has attracted worldwide attention.
A German citizen, Christian Bruckner, who is currently in a German prison for the rape of a 72-year-old woman (in Portugal), was residing in the area at the time of the girl's disappearance. He is the principal suspect in her disappearance.
The search is drawing a lot of publicity in Europe. The below article from today's Publico (Portugal) is translated by Fousesquawk.
The Maddie Case
Police with faces covered and divers search for traces of Maddie at the Arade Dam.
In Algarve, German police follow the trail of one of their fellow countrymen, arrested for the rape of an elderly woman. The "film" repeats itself 16 years after the child's disappearance.
By Idalio Revez
May 23 2023, 13:09
Caption: The searches for traces of Maddie began with a request from German authorities.
The scene repeats itself. Judicial Police and German authorities conduct searches at the Arade Dam (Silves) in an effort to (investigate) what could be the latest clue in solving the Maddie case- the English girl who disappeared from Praia da Luz 16 years ago.
The operation is being carried out under the observation of the English police, but it is the German investigators who are most visible in front of the media circus that is set up around the reservoir, with a water level much lower than would be normal for the time (of year).
Christian Bruckner, serving a sentence of seven years in a prison in Oldenburg for raping a 72-year-old woman, in Portugal, is the link that led to Judicial Police to reopen this process, upon request of the German authorities. The searches for what may be the biological remains of Maddie are concentrated in a location next to the dam where Bruckner lived in a trailer park.
Dozens of journalists rushed to the location, especially Portuguese television channels, but also Spanish, German, and English, with more than one team to cover the event. "Searching for something," but not known what.
The only certainty is that this is another police attempt to add to an investigation in which millions of euros have been spent-and which remains without any conclusion. In 2008, Attorney Aragão Correia paid investigators out of his pocket to conduct searches at the location. What was found at the time were animal cadavers and garbage.
The German police make a point of showing their presence. The investigators don't even let you see their eyes. Passing in front of the journalists in all-terrain vehicles, black caps on their heads and dark glasses.
TV cameramen, prevented from getting near the location where the operation is being carried out, north of the dam, spread out in the hills of the range to capture possible discoveries on land or in the sea.
The operation is being supported by a group of divers from emergency rescue of Silves and by elements of the GNR (National Republican Guard). In contrast to the Germans, what is noted in the Portuguese authorities is an attitude of discretion, typical of one who has seen this "film" several times. The Judicial Police predict that the searches can last two or three days, without revealing more details.
No comments:
Post a Comment