By New York Post (World News) | Created at 2026-07-24 08:40:57 | Updated at 2026-07-24 09:34:35
1 hour ago
The convicted sex offender considered to be the chief suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann allegedly attacked cops outside a German supermarket after taking photographs of them on his cell phone.
Christian Brueckner, 49, is accused of clashing with the officers outside a store in Kiel, northern Germany, on June 6, and left one official injured in the dust-up, German outlet Der Spiegel reported.
Brueckner – who has never been charged over McCann’s 2007 disappearance – had refused to hand over his phone to police, who didn’t want to be photographed, when he was asked to do so.
“During the course of the police intervention, a physical assault or act of resistance against law enforcement officers occurred,” a Kiel police spokeswoman told Der Spiegel.
One of the cops suffered a knee injury, and Brueckner is under investigation for the photographs.
“The photo was taken from a distance of more than 40 meters [131 feet] and was unproblematic,” his lawyer Philipp Marquort scoffed.
“This amounts to the persecution of innocent people.”
Brueckner was released from a prison in Sehnde, Germany, in September last year after serving a seven-year sentence for the 2005 rape of an American woman, then 72, which happened in Portugal.
After his release, Brueckner was taken to Neumünster, where he was “verbally abused and threatened” by residents after they found out he was living in the town, Agence-France Presse reported.
“We were worried that he might hide in one of the cellars,” one concerned resident told the Telegraph.
He then headed to Braunschweig in a failed bid to confront the prosecutors who claim he abducted McCann before moving onto Kiel.
It was reported in October that Brueckner was living in a tent in Kiel and was being protected by two cops from “possible attacks.”
Brueckner’s passport was canceled and he was ordered to wear an electronic tag upon his release from prison.
He must declare a place of residence he cannot leave without obtaining permission from the authorities, according to Der Spiegel.
German authorities first revealed in 2020 they were investigating Brueckner in connection with McCann’s disappearance.
McCann disappeared from her parents’ holiday apartment at the Ocean Club in Praia da Luz on May 3, 2007, when she was just 3.
McCann’s parents, Kate and Gerry, were dining around 180 feet away from their apartment when the girl went missing.
In April 2022, Portuguese prosecutors declared Brueckner an “arguido,” which translates as suspect, without formally naming him.
In 2024, Brueckner was cleared of three rapes and two counts of sexual abuse of children related to incidents that allegedly took place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.
Brueckner has declined interview requests from British police as part of their investigation into McCann’s disappearance, known as Operation Grange.
“The Met continues to work with and support colleagues from law enforcement in Portugal and Germany,” London’s Metropolitan Police says.
With Post wires.
