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Detectives investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann have started to dig at a remote Algarve reservoir as they search for signs of the missing British girl.
The area around the the Barragem do Arade reservoir was locked down overnight, and police divers entered the water early on Tuesday at the site found about 30 miles from Praia da Luz, where Madeleine went missing in 2007.
The first major search for Madeleine in nine years comes after German police discovered photos of prime suspect Christian Brueckner at his self-described ‘little paradise’ in the Portuguese region, it is understood.
Portuguese media outlets reported that excavations at the reservoir have ‘already begun’, with video appearing to show police officers digging at the site.
According to Correio da Manha, excavations began at around 11am local time, and were being carried out at two different spots around the water’s edge. The newspaper reported that ‘about a dozen’ police officers are involved in the digging, and that sniffer dogs are also present.
Detectives investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann (left) locked down a remote Algarve reservoir with a no-fly zone overhead today as they prepared to search for the body of the missing British girl. The first major search for Madeleine in nine years comes after German police discovered photos of prime suspect Christian Brueckner (right) at his self-described ‘little paradise’ in the Portugese region.
Pictured: Police officers are seen on the peninsula jutting into the reservoir as the conduct today’s search for signs of Madeleine McCann
Pictured: A police boat is seen on the still waters of the reservoir on Tuesday morning
Pictured: Police officers and a dog are seen on the peninsula jutting into the reservoir as the conduct today’s search for signs of Madeleine McCann
In the afternoon police appeared to be concentrating their efforts on a peninsula of land jutting into the reservoir.
Two sides of the area have gently sloping banks towards the water, while the third is a sheer cliff, where three white tents could be seen set back from the edge today.
The site is popular with campervan users and has BBQ stands and Sun loungers scattered around, and Brueckner is known to have driven there frequently in his VW campervan.
Officers using sticks were beating back undergrowth as they inched their way through the woods before fanning down onto the beach to carry on the search.
Roads leading into the Arade Dam, a 40-minute drive from Praia da Luz where the youngster vanished 16 years ago, were sealed off yesterday as part of a ‘preparation’ day ahead of the search operation.
And overnight, a no-fly zone covering the whole of the man-made dam was put in place, leaving the airspace above the water and land near the water’s edge open to police drones only.
The ring of steel meant journalists and curious onlookers were kept more than a mile back from two white tents put up yesterday by a secluded hilltop area on a peninsula jutting into the reservoir Portuguese police are expected to comb until nightfall.
Senior Policia Judiciaria officer Helena Monteiro led the first Portuguese police to reach the Arade Dam near the town of Silves around 45 minutes before digs began.
A convoy of five vehicles, including two off-road vehicles and a large logistics van, followed close behind.
German police arrived ten minutes later just after 8am local time, in two people carriers and a Ford Ranger. They were spotted getting out of the vehicles with balaclavas covering their faces.
Ground penetrating radar, of the sort often used to detect buried explosive devices, was brought in by the Portuguese GNR police force which is working alongside the Policia Judiciaria.
Although police sources said overnight they did not think sniffer dogs would not be used on day one of the search, a dog was spotted on site early on this morning.
Meanwhile, a boat provided by firefighters in Silves – which local media are saying will be used to search parts of the reservoir with a police-provided sonar equipment, – was filmed by the water’s edge and appearing to await instructions before being taken out some 300 metres offshore just after 9.30am local time.
The search started around 8.40am local time, some 20 minutes earlier than scheduled, after three Portuguese police pick-ups went into a clearing behind trees by two white tents which today’s search is expected to focus on.
A fourth vehicle belonging to a GNR subsoil unit was also at the scene.
The German police headed directly to a meeting zone after arrival but as the search commenced they were seen grabbing tools including spades and shovels to put in their vans before heading to the dig area.
A group of around 10 police officers were sighted walking close by on the edge of the peninsula jutting out into the dam, looking at hand-held tablets and pointing towards the ground with their fingers as if they were comparing photos on their screen with what they were seeing beneath their feet.
Shortly after 9am the GNR put a single drone up into the air.
Portuguese authorities working with the Judicial Police (PJ) criminal investigation unit push off in a boat during new search operation amid the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann (Maddie) in the Arade dam area, in Silves, Portugal, on May 23
Portuguese authorities from the Judicial Police (PJ) criminal investigation unit work during new search operation amid the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann (Maddie) in the Arade dam area, in Silves, Portugal, on May 23
Pictured: Rescue vehicles are seen at the reservoir on Tuesday, including a dive team van
Pictured: Police vehicles, understood to be from Portugal and Germany, are seen on May 23 near the reservoir being searched by investigators today
Pictured: Investigators are seen searching the banks of the reservoir today
Pictured: Officers search the banks of the reservoir today
Pictured: Members of the press and the public are seen on a road near the reservoir on Tuesday as officers continue to search the area
Officials have been tight-lipped about the search.
This morning in a statement, German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters said: ‘Criminal proceedings are currently taking place in Portugal as part of the investigation into the Madeleine McCann case. Wolters said German officers are investigating in Portugal ‘on the basis of certain tips.’
He said he was unable at this stage to give more detail on what prompted the search, and what officials were hoping to find, but said that such details would be released ‘if we… think the results are publishable’.
‘Yes, the measures in Portugal are connected with the Madeleine McCann proceedings, which means that we are investigating there in Portugal on the basis of certain tips (tip-offs),’ Wolters said today.
‘There is a major search operation taking place that is being implemented by the Portuguese authorities. But there are also German officers from the Federal Criminal Police Office on site who are supporting the whole thing.’
He added: ‘I can’t disclose the background at the moment, i.e. why we are searching there and what we hope to find there. That shall remain our secret for the moment.’
‘If we find something and we think the results are publishable, then we will certainly inform you about it. But give us a little bit of time. The action itself will also take a bit of time. It will not be completed within two hours or so. And whether we then find something and what we find, of course, we have to see that first.’
Sources close to the investigation said they had evidence the clearing in the trees – where tents have been set up – was the spot Brueckner used to spend time at after parking up his camper van nearby.
A local who asked not to be named, but knows the area well, said: ‘It’s pretty well-hidden by the trees and you don’t realise it’s there until you’re almost upon it.
‘People wild camp there overnight from time to time which is why you’ll find the remains of fires inside small walls of stone.
‘It’s got old sun loungers in it and makeshift benches that visitors use to rest on. It’s very out-of-the-way and very peaceful but at the same time it’s got a slightly eerie feel about it.’
A well-placed police source said: ‘Portuguese police are going to carry out a thorough and very careful search of the area today.
‘Policia Judiciaria officers are going to be divided into four teams who will focus on a land search. It will be very meticulous and exhaustive.
‘Forget the idea of big trucks and large machinery. A lot of the work that’s going to be done here today will be done by hand with backup technology.’
High-tech equipment used to detect human remains buried under the earth, as well as underwater if required, is expected to be used.
No heavy machinery was taken to the area yesterday and council officials were spotted carrying a ‘lorryload’ of wheelbarrows to the zone by the hidden leisure area clearing, suggesting police will rake and dig it by hand using the likes of pickaxes rather than excavate earth with diggers in an attempt to preserve any evidence.
Local Portuguese reports, partly confirmed by police sources, claimed the searches were requested and authorised after German police obtained videos and photos of Brueckner by the planned dig site.
Pictured: A fire department boat is seen on the edge of the reservoir today where investigators are searching for signs of Madeleine McCann, the British girl who went missing in 2007
Pictured: A fire department official is seen today on the edge of the reservoir where investigators are searching for signs of Madeleine McCann
Pictured: Tents set up near the Algarve reservoir for the search are seen on Tuesday
Pictured: A police tent and vehicles are seen near the Arade dam, about 30 miles from Praia da Luz in Portugal, Tuesday May 23, 2023
Pictured: Police officers wearing balaclavas, believed to be German, are seen at the scene of the search in Portugal today
Pictured: An aerial view of the peninsula jutting into the reservoir Portuguese police are planning to comb in their search for Madeleine McCann today and tomorrow
The search is expected to last for at least two days and beyond that if anything of relevance is found at the reservoir, which lies about 45 minutes from Praia da Luz – where Madeleine vanished without a trace in 2007 aged three
Portuguese officers were pictured surveying the reservoir in Silves yesterday ahead of the start of the official search operation for Madeleine beginning today
Officers of Portugal’s investigative Judicial Police were seen at the site of a remote reservoir in Silves on Monday (pictured). They confirmed that they have launched a fresh search alongside German and British authorities. The first major search for Madeleine in nine years comes after German police discovered photos of prime suspect Christian Brueckner at his self-described ‘little paradise’ in the Portuguese region
A vehicle of Portugal’s Emergency Services carries wheelbarrows at the site of the reservoir
They are thought to have been found buried in the paedophile’s ‘secret lair’ in a dilapidated factory site in the German village of Neuwegersleben 65 miles south-east of Hanover.
Police raided the site in February 2016 in search of the body of missing five-year-old Inga Gehricke, who vanished while on a family outing in Saxony-Anhalt in May 2015 and has been dubbed the ‘German Maddie.’
Reports at the time said German detectives had discovered more than 8,000 images and videos on USB sticks and hard drives filled with child abuse images.
They were said to have been buried under the body of Brueckner’s dead dog.
Portugal’s Policia Judiciaria force, whose officers are doing most of the dig work today, has confirmed the searches were requested by their German counterparts the BKA.
The request was made via an international letter of request sent to Portugal’s Attorney General’s office and passed on to prosecutors in Portimao.
Portuguese officials have not yet said when it was received but it is believed to have been about two months ago.
Although this week’s operation has been initiated by German police, Portuguese detectives are showing with the manpower and logistical support they are providing that they are fully on board.
Carlos Farinha, the PJ’s deputy director, travelled from Lisbon yesterday to the reservoir to view the preparation work ahead of the start of the searches and meet German counterparts.
He is believed to have attended a briefing meeting with German police, who arrived at the scene around 6.30pm local time in four vehicles including three VW people carriers and left two hours later.
Today Algarve PJ chief Fernando Jordao who is normally based in Faro and Helena Monteiro, tasked with an ongoing Portuguese police ‘cold case’ review from the northern city of Porto, are due to spend time at the search area in another show of the importance attached to this week’s operation by the Portuguese force’s upper hierarchy.
Operational coordination will be in the hands of a chief inspector who has not yet been named.
Scotland Yard representatives will be in the area for what has been described as a ‘watching brief.’
Respected Portuguese broadcaster SIC has said the searches, due to last for at least two days and longer if anything of relevance is found, will be 80 per cent land-based and 20 per cent water-based.
In a lunchtime broadcast yesterday it said: ‘Investigators know suspect Cristian Brueckner used to come to this dam regularly.
‘He would call it his little paradise and would often spend the night here. He was seen here often.
‘The German authorities considered this reservoir to be an area of interest and ended up sending an International letter of request or letter rogatory.’
Police are aiming to build up a picture of sole suspect Christian Brueckner’s life on the Algarve and the places he frequented as they search the Barragem reservoir in Silves, Portugal
Pictured: The Barragem reservoir in Silves, southern Portugal, where police will start to look for Madeleine today
Kate and Gerry McCann pose for the media with a missing poster depicting an age progression computer generated image of their still missing daughter Madeleine during a news conference in London, May 2, 2012
No police divers have yet been spotted and there are conflicting reports about whether underwater searches will take place or if they will occur in shallows near the edge of the reservoir where water levels are currently much lower than normal because of the ongoing drought.
In a statement issued yesterday evening, the first so far by authorities in Portugal, Germany or UK after news of the new operation broke, the PJ said: ‘In view of the news made public, the Judiciary Police confirms that, regarding the investigation into the disappearance of an English child, which occurred in the Algarve in 2007, steps are still being taken to fully clarify the situation.
‘Within the scope of international cooperation, in the next few days in the Algarve region, new searches will be carried out, coordinated by the Judiciary Police, at the request of the German Authorities (BKA) and with the presence of the British Authorities.
‘Information will be provided in due course on the outcome of the proceedings.’
The force made its statement shortly before German police arrived at the reservoir for a briefing meeting.
They were travelling in three Volkswagen vans, two black and one dark-blue, and a Ford Ranger with a Portuguese police escort in front.
The meeting took place in one of two blue tents put up yesterday lunchtime just under a mile from the land set to be examined today, one for the police and one for civil protection workers.
It was the first time all day any German officials had been seen at the reservoir, which was searched by divers hired by a Portuguese lawyer in February and March 2008. Back then, the diving team leader describing the ‘long process’ his team faced navigating the ‘black’ waters.
Marcos Aragao Correia organised the privately-funded operation after claiming he had been tipped off by underworld contacts that Madeleine had been murdered and her body thrown into the reservoir within 48 hours of her disappearance.
Two bags containing small bones were found during the second search after divers had earlier recovered several lengths of cord, some plastic tape and a single white cotton sock.
Portuguese police were alerted following the discovery but subsequently ruled out the possibility the bones were human because of their size.
Madeleine’s parents Gerry and Kate McCann had previously dismissed Mr Correia as a self-publicist and said there was no evidence suggesting any link between their daughter and the reservoir.
The dam, near the town of Silves where a lorry driver says he saw a woman handing a child like Madeleine McCann over to a man two days after she went missing from her Praia da Luz holiday apartment on May 3 2007, is not thought to have been searched since March 2008 as part of the ongoing investigation into her disappearance.
The search is the first major operation of its kind since June 2014 when British police were given permission to do digs in Praia da Luz that involved sniffer dogs trained in detecting bodies and ground-penetrating radar.
The Scotland Yard digs nearly nine years ago in Praia da Luz were linked to the leading UK police theory at the time Madeleine died during a break-in and burglars dumped her body nearby.
The searches failed to find any trace of the missing youngster.
In a smaller operation in July 2020 Portuguese police and firefighters searched three wells for Madeleine’s body but failed to find any trace of her.
The abandoned wells are a 15 minute drive from a cottage Brueckner rented on the outskirts of Praia de Luz, on a narrow road leading down to a beach where the paedophile used to park his VW camper van.
German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters has consistently said he is convinced Madeleine is dead and caged paedophile Brueckner, 45, has been named as the sole suspect.
The deviant, currently serving time for the September 2005 rape of an American OPA in the resort where Madeleine vanished, has yet to face any formal accusation over the youngster’s disappearance.
Last April he was made an official suspect or arguido in Portugal over Madeleine’s disappearance, although his defence lawyer Friedrich Fulscher labelled it a ‘procedural trick’ linked to statute of limitations legislation at the time.
Last autumn Bruecker was charged in Germany with several sex crimes on the Algarve against women and children including the rape of an Irish holiday rep in 2004 and the sexual abuse of a 10-year-old girl on a beach near Praia da Luz in 2007.
Brueckner’s lawyer revealed in April those charges had been dropped against him in a bombshell development after successfully arguing prosecutors had no jurisdiction over him in Braunschweig where the Madeleine case was being brought.
The case could end up with prosecutors in Saxony-Anhalt instead but an appeal lodged by the Braunschweig public prosecutor’s office has yet to be decided.
Two officers from Portugal’s Judicial Police were pictured walking around the grounds of the reservoir yesterday
Police tents were spotted being erected as cops prepared for a new search operation, 16 years on from the toddler going missing
Portuguese police were seen at the makeshift base camp in the Arade dam area, Faro district, one day before the official start of the new search for Madeleine
Braunschweig prosecutor Mr Wolters has insisted they are still in control of the Madeleine McCann investigation and Brueckner, who denies any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance, remains in custody.
Kate and Gerry are expected to be kept informed of any developments as a result of the new search through Scotland Yard liaison officers.
The Arade Dam, the Barragem do Arade in Portuguese, is fed by the watercourse of the Arade River whose source lies to the southwest of the Serrra do Caldeirao mountain range and runs through the municipalities of Silves, Lagoa and Portimao before reaching the ocean.
Construction was concluded in 1955 and it began operating the following year.
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