Christian Brueckner, the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, has been at the centre of a shocking security breach in Germany. The convicted rapist was supposed to be under 24-hour surveillance in his native country, but he managed to give police officers the slip.
During the time he vanished in the northern German port city of Kiel, Brueckner became involved in a violent confrontation and was later arrested. The explosive revelation emerged after emergency talks in the regional parliament of Schleswig-Holstein on the debacle surrounding the suspect identified by German prosecutors as the prime suspect in Madeleine's disappearance in Portugal in 2007.
Political Outrage Over Surveillance Failure
Enraged opposition politicians demanded answers over how one of Europe's most notorious criminal suspects could evade officers despite wearing an electronic ankle tag and supposedly being watched 24 hours a day at an enormous cost to taxpayers. German Interior Minister Magdalena Finke admitted the surveillance operation had failed. She confirmed Brueckner disappeared from police view on April 20, even though officers had been tailing him constantly since his release from prison.
The suspect, who returned to Kiel in March after completing a seven-year sentence for the brutal rape of an elderly American woman in Portugal in 2005, is currently living inside a fenced-off container accommodation under strict monitoring conditions. Yet despite the massive security operation, police admitted he managed to move around 200 metres away from the site before entering private property and becoming embroiled in a vicious fight with the owner. Authorities described the clash as 'mutual bodily harm' and said criminal investigations are continuing.
Heightened Security Measures
The humiliating lapse has triggered alarm inside German political circles amid growing fears over what critics called a shocking and highly 'dangerous surveillance gap'. Finke insisted authorities were taking public fears 'very seriously' and claimed intense extra security measures had now been introduced. Police also admitted the suspect they describe as 'Christian B.' has repeatedly tried to shake off surveillance teams. Officials revealed he deliberately cycles into narrow paths and side routes where police cars cannot follow him, forcing officers to rely on his electronic tag before scrambling to relocate him.
The extraordinary disclosures sparked outrage because the suspect remains under intense international scrutiny over Madeleine's disappearance from Praia da Luz, Portugal, nearly 20 years ago while on a family holiday with her parents Kate and Gerry. German prosecutors still officially regard Brueckner as the prime suspect in the case, although he has still never been charged over Madeleine's disappearance and denies any involvement.
Extradition Hurdles Post-Brexit
Earlier this month it emerged British police are pushing for Brueckner to be extradited to the UK to stand trial at the Old Bailey. A top Scotland Yard officer is said to be leading efforts to charge the German suspect on suspicion of abduction and murder ahead of the 20th anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance next year. However, there is a major obstacle standing in their way following Brexit; the German constitution prevents the extradition of its citizens to non-EU countries. According to Article 16 of the constitution, German citizens may not be extradited to any foreign countries that are outside of the bloc. Before Brexit, it would have been much easier to have Brueckner sent over to the UK to stand trial for a suspected crime against a British citizen. Instead, the Met is said to be determined that he will someday face charges in Germany.
