Christian Brueckner, the German man identified by prosecutors as the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, has made a new claim about his whereabouts on the night the three-year-old vanished — saying he was just 150 yards from the family’s holiday apartment.
Brueckner, 49, told the Mail on Sunday that he was in Praia da Luz on May 3, 2007, but insisted he had nothing to do with Madeleine’s disappearance. He claimed he was on the beach selling drugs after smuggling cannabis into Portugal from Spain.
“I was on the beach, not far from Maddie’s hotel, selling drugs,” Brueckner said.
He also claimed Portuguese police stopped him three times that night while they were searching the area for the missing child.
“Luckily, they didn’t find the drugs. My van was full of them,” he said.
Brueckner said he had not previously disclosed this account because he believed investigators were attempting to implicate him in Madeleine’s disappearance.
His comments do not amount to an established alibi, and he has never been charged in connection with the case. German prosecutors named him as a suspect in 2020, while he has consistently denied involvement.
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Madeleine McCann went missing in 2007(Image: PA)
Released From Prison Last Year
Brueckner was released from a German prison in September 2025 after serving a seven-year sentence for the rape of a 72-year-old American woman in Praia da Luz in 2005.
The rape took place in the same Portuguese resort where Madeleine disappeared 18 months later. German prosecutors subsequently identified Brueckner as a suspect in the missing-child investigation.
He has continued to deny any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance.
British police have also sought to speak to him. In September 2025, the Metropolitan Police confirmed that Brueckner had refused a formal request for an interview before his release from prison.
The case remains unresolved, and Madeleine has never been found.
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Christian Brueckner has made new claims about his whereabouts on the night of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Brueckner Reportedly Working on Tell-All Book
The latest claims come as Brueckner is reportedly seeking a publisher for an autobiography in which he intends to give his version of events and maintain his innocence.
According to reports, he has already begun writing and has contacted at least one professional author about helping with the manuscript. He is reportedly hoping the book could eventually be published in both German and English.
A source previously told the Mirror that Brueckner wanted to explain his side of the story and could also benefit financially from the project, having struggled to find employment since leaving prison.
The reported book plans have attracted attention because Brueckner remains a central figure in the investigation despite never having been charged over Madeleine’s disappearance.
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The suspect is plotting to write a tell-all book(Image: METROPOLITAN POLICE/AFP via Gett)
UK Police Seeking a Possible Trial
The Metropolitan Police is continuing to investigate the case through Operation Grange. In May 2026, reports said detectives were working with the Crown Prosecution Service as they considered whether Brueckner could eventually face proceedings in Britain.
Any prosecution would require sufficient evidence and would also raise legal questions surrounding the possible extradition of a German citizen to the UK.
Brueckner was identified by German authorities as a suspect in 2020, 13 years after Madeleine disappeared from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz while her parents were dining nearby. He has not been charged in the case.
His newly stated account places him remarkably close to the McCann family’s apartment that night, but it remains his own version of events. Whether it can be independently corroborated — and what significance investigators attach to it — remains a matter for the ongoing investigation.
Nearly two decades after Madeleine disappeared, her whereabouts remain unknown.