Since Tuesday, the search for Maddie has resumed. The chief investigator at the time believed that the German police were just using the action to make a name for themselves.
It is the first search operation in almost ten years in the case of the missing Maddie McCann – since Tuesday the German police, together with their Portuguese colleagues, have been looking for clues that should clear up the matter. The area surrounding the Arade reservoir is full of divers, sniffer dogs and many emergency services. The lagoon is about 50 kilometers from Praia da Luz, where Maddie disappeared in 2007.
➤ Read more: As of today, investigators are looking for Maddie McCann again
Even though German police say the search was legitimized by promising leads, the search is viewed critically by some. Portuguese policeman Gonçalo Amaral, who at the time was the lead investigator in the Maddie case, sharply criticized the move: In an interview with Portuguese newspaper Sabado, he said that the search was aimed primarily at raising the profile of the German police. They just want to find a scapegoat, namely Christian Brückner, suspected since 2020. After investing so much time and money in the investigation, the police are determined to identify him as the culprit.
Amaral removed from the investigation in 2008
Amaral doesn’t even rule out that the whole search is a complete hoax: “I don’t know if the German police are looking for something. I know that the intention is to blame the suspect.” The Portuguese commissioner, on the other hand, thinks it unlikely that anything important will be found. He thinks it much more likely that the girl’s body was cremated.
➤ Read more: Finding Maddie – Suddenly a New Lead
It is not the first time that Amaral has harshly criticized the work of the German police. In his book “Maddie: Enough of Lies”, he says he analyzes their flawed investigations and alleged intent to simply name a culprit. Amaral was the Maddie case investigator at the time. After suspecting that Maddie’s parents were behind their daughter’s disappearance, he was dropped from the case. However, Amaral still claims that her parents only faked Maddie’s disappearance.
Navigation account 20 minutes Time25.05.2023, 16:24| Act: 05/25/2023, 4:37 pm