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The Metropolitan Police are pushing to bring the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann to the UK for trial. Met detectives are reportedly attempting to bring Christian Brueckner to Britain to stand trial for the abduction and murder of Madeleine who vanished, aged 3, while on a family holiday in Portugal 19 years ago.

Scotland Yard wants to extradite the German suspect ahead of the 20th anniversary of the British girl going missing. Madeleine disappeared from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in the Algarve on May 3 2007, sparking a huge police search. One of the Met's most senior officers is reportedly leading attempts to charge 48-year-old Brueckner prior to the landmark anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance.

The force believes it can gather a strong enough case for the Crown Prosecution Service to approve charges, according to The Telegraph.

Brueckner, who is a convicted child sex offender, was named as an official suspect in Madeleine's disappearance in 2022 - 16 years after the toddler went missing.

At the time, he was serving a sentence for the rape of a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz.

Charges were never brought and he was released in September.

German cops began investigating Brueckner for the kidnap and murder of Madeleine back in June 2020.

Brueckner has previously denied any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance, however remains the prime suspect in both the German and British investigations into what happened.

According to The Telegraph, a request for Brueckner to be sent to the UK to stand trial could be rejected by Berlin because the German constituion prevents the extradition of its citizens to non-EU countries.

A number of searches have been carried out by German, Portuguese and British authorities since Madeleine's disappearance.

In 2023, investigators carried out searches near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, about 30 miles from Praia da Luz.

Brueckner spent time in the area between 2000 and 2017 and had photographs and videos of himself near the reservoir.

Since 2011, more than £13.2 million in funding has been given to the Met's investigation, known as Operation Grange.

On Sunday, the 19th anniversary of Madeleine going missing, her parents Kate and Gerry McCann vowed they would "never give up" in the search for their daughter.

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