Prime Madeleine McCann Suspect Admits he was '150 Yards From Resort' When Missing British Toddler Vanished
Christian Brueckner, the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, has revealed his whereabouts at the time the British toddler vanished.
Sept. 21 2026, Published 9:00 a.m. ET
The prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has admitted he was "150 yards" from the resort she was staying in when she vanished.
RadarOnline.com can reveal convicted rapist Christian Brueckner has spoken for the first time about his whereabouts on the night the British toddler went missing, claiming he was "selling drugs" on a beach near the Praia da Luz resort in Portugal’s Algarve.
'I Was On A Beach Selling Drugs'
The German says he was just 150 yards away from resort Maddie went missing.
However, he denies any connection to the three-year-old's case.
German police previously named him as their prime suspect in the suspected kidnapping and murder of Madeleine, who disappeared in 2007 while her parents Kate and Gerry McCann dined 100 yards away.
Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, Brueckner told of how police had stopped him with a "van full of drugs" as he attempted to make a quick getaway from Praia da Luz the evening she went missing.
He said: "I was on the beach, not far from Maddie's hotel, selling drugs.
'My Van Was Full Of Drugs'
Brueckner claims he was stopped in the street by police.
"I'd been in Spain and smuggled the weed into Portugal.
"I was even stopped by police three times on the street (in Praia da Luz) while they were looking for Maddie. Luckily, they didn't find the drugs. My van was full of them."
He continued: "I was making a quick getaway; there were flashing blue lights and checkpoints everywhere. I just thought, 'Get me out of here."
Brueckner said he had previously refused to comment on his alleged connection to Madeleine's disappearance "because the police want to frame me for the Maddie thing."
'I Have Nothing To Do With Maddie Disappearance'
Brueckner insists he has nothing to do with Madeleine's disappearance.
He explained: "I have nothing to do with the little girl's disappearance.
"I would be happy if Maddie turned up tomorrow, then everyone would immediately understand that everything against me is and was staged.
"But that probably won't happen, so I remain the prime suspect."
A source close to Kate and Gerry McCann said: "If what he says is true, it obviously begs the question of what might have been if the Portuguese police had not let him slip through their fingers."
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Gerry and Kate McCann have been critical of how local cops acted after their daughter went missing.
The fresh revelation heaps further pressure on local law enforcement, who faced widespread backlash for their lack of urgency during the critical initial search for the British toddler.
German prosecutors officially identified Brueckner as the lead suspect in 2020, revealing a phone registered in his name was tracked near the McCanns' holiday apartment on the night of the abduction.
While investigators previously stated they held "concrete evidence" linking him to the disappearance, they admitted they currently lack sufficient proof to secure a conviction.
Three-year-old Madeleine vanished from her family’s ground-floor holiday apartment in Praia da Luz while her parents were dining with friends at a nearby tapas restaurant. Her disappearance sparked one of the most high-profile and costly missing person investigations in modern history.
