The primary suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, Christian Brueckner, allegedly confessed to his cellmate that he kidnapped a young girl just before she went missing. Brueckner, 49, reportedly told his cellmate that he had kept a 13-year-old girl hostage for four days, tying her to a post and abusing her. The incident took place near Praia da Luz, the same area where Madeleine disappeared in 2007.
Brueckner is currently on trial in Braunschweig, Germany, facing charges of rape and sexual abuse of children in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. His prison cellmate is expected to testify about the incident involving the 13-year-old girl who had run away from a youth camp in Portugal.
The court heard that Brueckner allegedly climbed over the balcony of an apartment dressed in all black with a knife and whip in two separate rape attacks. He is also accused of assaulting an elderly woman in her 70s and a 14-year-old girl.
Last summer, a man who claimed to have alerted police to Brueckner spoke out, saying that Brueckner had made disturbing comments about Madeleine’s kidnapping. Despite being identified as a suspect in the McCann case in 2022, Brueckner denies any involvement in her disappearance.
German police have stated that Madeleine is assumed dead, but Brueckner has never been charged in connection with her disappearance. The trial continues as more details emerge about Brueckner’s alleged crimes.