Brückner to be released by Sept 17, investigators say

Christian Brückner, the man German prosecutors have identified as the prime suspect in the 2007 disappearance of Madeleine McCann, is due to be released from prison by September 17 at the latest, senior investigators said, prompting fresh concern that he could slip from the reach of authorities as prosecutors race to secure restrictions or further charges. Hans Christian Wolters, the lead German prosecutor on the McCann inquiry, told the BBC Brückner must be released under current legal rules but said investigators regarded him as dangerous and remained convinced he was responsible for Madeleine's disappearance. "He is not just our number one suspect, he is the only suspect," Wolters said, adding that experts consider Brückner a continuing risk to society.

Brückner is serving a seven year sentence for a violent sexual assault on a 72 year old American tourist in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2005. He was convicted in Germany for that attack and remains under investigation in Germany and Portugal in connection with Madeleine's disappearance. Portuguese authorities have also named him as a formal suspect, or arguido. German investigators say they have forensic and phone data linking...