crime
New search for Maddie – Media from all over the world in Portugal
Police search teams return to an operational tent in Barragem do Arade, Portugal. photo
© Joao Matos/AP/dpa
Even after 16 years, the disappearance of little Maddie is explosive. An operation in the south of Portugal is causing a stir – and is probably giving parents hope for an end to the uncertainty.
The new search operation in the case of little Madeleine McCann, who disappeared without a trace in southern Portugal 16 years ago, is causing a stir beyond the borders of Europe. To kick off the operation, dozens of journalists and cameramen from all over the world gathered on site yesterday, including a team from the Brazilian TV channel RecordTV.
However, those who had arrived in a hurry could only see a little, because the search area was cordoned off by the authorities – and there was an absolute ban on flying above it, even for drones. The search continues on Wednesday. According to the Portuguese criminal police, it should last “a few days”.
Disappeared without a trace
The new search is taking place in the Algarve at the Arade reservoir – around 50 kilometers northeast of the resort of Praia da Luz, from which the British girl disappeared without a trace on May 3, 2007, shortly before her fourth birthday. According to official information, it is running at the request of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). According to media reports, in addition to local and German officials, British police officers were also on site on Tuesday.
TV pictures showed police officers combing the banks of the reservoir, some with the help of sniffer dogs. Divers went out on the lake in a rubber dinghy. Dozens of vehicles and specialists were involved in the operation, and blue tents served as the coordination center.
Hardly any details known
What exactly triggered the new search remained unknown at first. Hans Christian Wolters, spokesman for the Braunschweig public prosecutor’s office, which is investigating the case against a previously convicted German on suspicion of murder, told the German Press Agency only that the action was based on “recent developments”. For their part, the Portuguese police said that further information would only be available after the search had been completed.
The parents had left Maddie and her two younger siblings at the apartment on that fateful day some 16 years ago while they were having dinner with friends at a nearby restaurant. Since then there has been no trace of Madeleine. The investigators assume that the girl was kidnapped and murdered by Christian B., who is now 46 years old.
There are many indications, but the chain of evidence is not closed, the public prosecutor often said. The principle of the presumption of innocence applies. The suspect’s German lawyer did not want to comment on the new developments in Portugal when asked by dpa. A body was never found.