Madeleine McCann cops seize items from Portugal tank

Investigators in the case of missing 16-year-old British girl Madeleine McCann have “seized a number of items” from a tank in Portugal, German officials said on Thursday.

The Braunschweig public prosecutor’s office confirmed the find, but said it was too early to determine whether the objects were linked to the missing girl, who was last seen in May 2007.

“The search operation carried out last week in the Arade Reservoir area in Portugal ended on Thursday after three days as planned,” he said in a statement, Britain’s Telegraph reported.

“A previously precisely defined area along the reservoir has been thoroughly searched for possible evidence. Several items have been seized as part of the operation. These will be assessed in the coming days and weeks,” said added officials.

German, Portuguese and British law enforcement took part in the three-day search in the Algarve region of Portugal, where they were seen searching the banks of the Barragem do Arade dam.

The area is around 30 miles from the resort of Praia da Luz, where Madeleine, from Leicester, was last seen when the 3-year-old was on holiday with her parents and infant siblings.

Officials from the three countries carried out the sweep after a “very credible clue” suggested convicted rapist Christian Brueckner visited the site in the days after the tot disappeared.

“German officers went through more than 8,000 photos belonging to Christian B.,” a source told The Sun. “This forensic work led them to [the dam] – but there are also other places that have appeared in the photos.

Brueckner – a German national who is identified in court documents as “Christian B” due to privacy laws – was officially named as a suspect in April 2022.

The suspect, who was living in the Praia da Luz neighborhood at the time of the girl’s disappearance, is currently behind bars in Germany for the 2005 rape of an elderly woman.

A court recently refused to try him on several additional counts of rape and child sexual abuse, all of which took place near the upscale resort town.

Arade Reservoir Police wanted to uncover a stolen gun and camcorder which allegedly contained footage of Brueckner raping at least two women.

Brueckner has denied any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance, saying he was “miles away” at the time.