Christian Brueckner, the German man at the center of the Madeleine McCann investigation, could be released from prison in as little as two weeks, according to reports.

Many questions still surround the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, who vanished in Portugal in May 2007. The investigation, however, has continued.

In June, German and Portuguese authorities launched a new search in the Algarve region, near the area where convicted sex offender Christian Brueckner once lived.

”They know he did it”

Brueckner has been considered the prime suspect in the case since 2020, though no formal charges have ever been filed in connection with Madeleine’s disappearance. Today, he’s serving a seven-year sentence for the 2005 rape of a 72-year-old woman in Germany, a crime caught on camera.

That sentence is officially set to end on September 17, but sources in Portugal suggest he could be released up to 10 days early.

A German insider familiar with the case told the Spanish publication The Olive Press: “I’ve been told from very good sources that they will let him go quietly to avoid any big media attention. They also don’t want the chance of any vigilante attacking him, in case they need him back to face other charges soon. Meanwhile the police are working around the clock to try to find the final bit of the jigsaw to charge him over the death of Maddie. They know he did it, but they need to prove it”.

Not aware of the plans

Brueckner’s defense team, however, have denied claims he will be walking free so soon. Speaking to The Mirror, they said they were not aware of any plans for an early release.

The convicted sex offender’s brutal attack in 2005 occurred in Praia da Luz, Portugal, near the spot where Madeleine vanished during a family holiday in May 2007. One of his hairs was found on the victim’s bed, which led to his 2018 conviction.