German police manhunt for friend of Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Bruckner
Police in Germany have launched a manhunt for a friend of Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Bruckner after a failed raid on his home, it has been reported.
The Braunschweig home of the 56-year-old man, named only as Ralph H, was surrounded by up to 10 officers armed with machine guns earlier this week, according to The Sun. But they failed to find the allegedly close friend and criminal associate of Bruckner.
According to the newspaper, detectives want to ask him “about his connection” to the case of Madeleine, who disappeared just before her fourth birthday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007.
Brückner, 47, a convicted paedophile, is facing trial over five sexual offences he is alleged to have committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017, which are unrelated to Madeleine’s disappearance.
The raid focused on a small house, equipped with motion detectors and CCTV cameras, in the Kennelblick allotment garden, near a plot rented by Bruckner for three years. Police reportedly had no search warrant, so could not enter.
Hans Christian Wolters, a prosecutor, said of the raid: “He’s a neighbour who could be interesting to talk to, but we can’t give out any details on operative matters.”
According to The Sun, Ralph H has admitted that he “acted as a lookout for him [Bruckner] during burglaries, and as a getaway driver”.
A neighbour of Ralph H said: “I saw the officers turn up really quietly, there were probably eight to 10 of them. It was quite frightening suddenly seeing them creep in with their helmets and bulletproof vests and jump over his fence. They surrounded his home and shouted out his name, but with no luck.”
Last month, the trial of Bruckner at the Braunschweig state court was adjourned after only nine minutes after one of the magistrates, Britta Thielen-Doncke, was ruled unfit to preside.
She had posted on social media calling for the assassination of Jair Bolsonaro, the former Brazilian president.
Bruckner, who was due to be tried over three counts of rape and two of child sexual abuse, is already serving a seven-year sentence for raping an American pensioner in the Algarve resort town where Madeleine went missing.
German and Portuguese prosecutors have named him as the main suspect in Madeleine’s disappearance. He has denied any involvement, and has not been formally charged.
