The chief suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has refused to be interviewed by British police ahead of his imminent release.

Christian Brueckner, 49, is due to be freed from a German prison as early as Monday after serving a seven-year sentence for the rape and assault of an American pensioner in Portugal in 2005.

Brueckner remains a suspect in Madeleine’s disappearance, which came just two years after he attacked the pensioner.

Three-year-old Madeleine vanished from the holiday resort of Praia da Luz, on the Algarve, in May 2007 while her parents enjoyed a meal at a nearby restaurant, sparking a global search.

Brueckner fell into the frame for the offence because it emerged he visited an area close to a reservoir by the holiday resort between 2000 and 2017.

In an important development into the investigation, the Met Police‘s DCI Mark Cranwell revealed Brueckner had rejected an invitation to sit down with Scotland Yard.

DCI Cranwell said: ‘For a number of years we have worked closely with our policing colleagues in Germany and Portugal to investigate the disappearance of Madeleine McCann and support Madeleine’s family to understand what happened on the evening of May 3, 2007.

‘We are aware of the pending release from prison of a 49-year-old German man who has been the primary suspect in the German federal investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance.

+4
View gallery

The chief suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann (pictured) has refused to be interviewed by British police ahead of his imminent release

+4
View gallery

Christian Brueckner, 49, (pictured) is due to be freed from a German prison as early as Monday after serving a seven-year sentence for the rape and assault of an American pensioner in Portugal in 2005

+4
View gallery

Pictured: Christian Brueckner sits in the courtroom during his trial at Braunschweig Regional Court, in Brunswick, Germany, Wednesday, April 3, 2024

+4
View gallery

Madeleine went missing from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in Portugal’s Algarve region in May 2007 while her parents dined at a nearby tapas bar

‘We can confirm that this individual remains a suspect in the Metropolitan Police’s own investigation.

‘We have requested an interview with this German suspect but, for legal reasons, this can only be done via an International Letter of Request which has been submitted.

‘It was subsequently refused by the suspect. In the absence of an interview, we will nevertheless continue to pursue any viable lines of enquiry.’

Brueckner is due to be released from Sehnde jail, near Hanover, this week.

A number of searches have been carried out by German, Portuguese and British authorities since Madeleine’s disappearance – with the latest taking place near the Portuguese city of Lagos in June.

In 2023, investigators also carried out searches near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, about 30 miles from Praia da Luz.

Brueckner spent time in the area and had photographs and videos of himself near the reservoir.

For Kate and Gerry McCann, Madeleine’s Leicestershire-based parents, his release will be extremely hurtful.

Brueckner has previously denied any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance.