By Jon Clarke in Praia da Luz
DETECTIVES searching for remains of missing Madeleine McCann found two buried guns in Portugal last week.
The Olive Press can reveal that the firearms have now been sent back to Germany for analysis, as well as various bones and clothing.
While the bones are said to be from animals, there are some smaller fragments which will also be analysed by forensic experts.
The urgent three-day search near Praia da Luz, came as German detectives leading the case fear that their prime suspect Christian Brueckner, 48, may walk free from prison in September.
The convicted paedophile – who is nearing the end of a seven year sentence for the rape of an American pensioner in Portugal – was said to have carried a gun when he lived on the Algarve between 1995 and 2007.
Neighbours where Brueckner lived in the inland village of Foral told the Olive Press he was ‘often seen’ walking around with a gun.
Detectives also unearthed two more guns at a property owned by the sex offender in Neuwegersleben, in 2016. During the search in Lower Saxony they also found a series of memory sticks and hard drives buried in a bag under the dead body of his dog, Charlie.
As well as countless child abuse images, they also included many sick child rape and kidnap stories Brueckner had allegedly penned.
According to The Sun, police also found more than 70 children’s swimsuits, a toddler’s bike and masks.
German cops meanwhile, had planned to search the ruined properties in the hamlet of Aldeia, between Praia da Luz and Lagos, soon after a related search at nearby Arade lake in 2023, but could not get permission.
Despite registering 21 separate plots to search, in the end the 30 BKA detectives and a similar number of Portuguese cops scoured just half a dozen ruins.
“In total we found two guns, but we don’t know if they are related to Christian Brueckner or his offences,” revealed a source close to the Portuguese probe.
“We’ve been told very little. but we also found a number of bones, most likely not human, and some bone fragments, all sent to Germany, where a forensic check will be undertaken by specialists.
“The textiles and clothes found were adult size and there were no obvious signs of any link to Brueckner.”
The search had particularly pinpointed a place where Brueckner had wild-camped alongside his yellow and white VW van near Praia da Luz, when Madeleine, 3, was snatched from her holiday home in May, 2007.
“The Germans were very specific about where they wanted to look and we only knew exactly late on,” added the source.
“They say they have more places they want to search. We have no idea when. We just made sure they got what they needed this time.”
A detective who worked alongside the McCann family to find their daughter in the summer of 2007 told the Olive Press police were in the ‘exact right spot to find her’.
Danie Krugel said: “I’ve been telling police they need to be searching that area for years. Thank god they are finally there.”
The Olive Press was the first media group to be on the ground when the search area was set up on Monday last week.
We have reported the case since it broke in 2007 and were the first in Portugal after Brueckner was named as the prime suspect in June, 2020.
Neither German or Portuguese police have officially commented on the findings of the recent search, although a Policia Judiciaria spokesman has denied police found guns during the search, and confirmed it was ‘99% certain’ the bones were all from animals.
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