German investigators' prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann will be released from prison in a matter of weeks, local authorities have confirmed.
Christian Brückner, who is serving a sentence in northern Germany for a rape conviction, will be released by September 17 at the latest, the lead prosecutor investigating the toddler's disappearance told the BBC.
Hans Christian Wolters also said that he believed the 48-year-old German national was dangerous but that the current legal situation meant he must be released from prison without delay.
Brückner has never been charged with any crime in relation to Madeleine's disappearance and denies any involvement.
The then-three-year-old vanished from an apartment complex in Praia da Luz in the Algarve on 3 May 2007, sparking a Europe-wide investigation that has become one of the highest-profile missing persons cases.
Madeleine's parents had been dining with friends at a restaurant a short walk away while their daughter and her younger twin siblings were asleep in the ground-floor apartment. They had checked in on the children periodically until her mother, Kate, discovered she was missing at around 22:00 local time.
The case remains unsolved, but German prosecutors have pointed to evidence suggesting Brückner may have been in the area when Madeleine disappeared.
Mr. Wolters said that while he and other prosecutors did not believe they had enough evidence to formally charge Brückner in relation to the McCann case, their efforts would continue.
Brückner 'is not just our number one suspect, he's the only suspect', he said. 'There is no-one else.'
He emphasized that they have evidence against Brückner that points to his responsibility for the disappearance and potential death of Madeleine McCann, yet the evidence isn't strong enough for a guilty verdict thus far.
Due to differing legal systems, German authorities suspect Brückner of murder regarding Madeleine McCann, whereas British police are treating her disappearance as a missing person case.
The prosecutor, who has led German efforts to solve Madeleine's disappearance since announcing Brückner as their prime suspect in 2020, mentioned an expert had recently assessed Brückner as a danger to society, indicating a likelihood of re-offending.
In light of this, prosecutors are seeking to enforce restrictions on Brückner upon his release, potentially including an ankle tag, with conditions to be decided in a closed court hearing.
Madeleine's case, initially investigated by Portuguese authorities, has seen a lead taken by German prosecutors who have also formally named Brückner as a suspect. Brückner has a history as a drifter, petty criminal, and sex offender, including convictions for child sexual abuse in 1994 and 2016.
He has previously spent considerable time in the Algarve region and is currently incarcerated for the rape of a 72-year-old American tourist in Portugal in 2005.
Recent searches to find new evidence regarding Madeleine's disappearance were conducted but yielded no breakthroughs, although seized items are still under analysis. Prosecutors will not give up, despite claims of a lack of tangible results over the years.
