10 Jun, 2025 @ 19:31
2 mins read

EXCLUSIVE: Guns found during Madeleine McCann search in Praia da Luz in Portugal

Police found two guns during a search near Praia da Luz. credit: Jon Clarke Olive Press Spain

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.

Officers pack up a tent at the end of the day of searching at one of the base camps close to Praia De Luz. Credit: Cordon Press

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.

Image 08 06 20 12 35
HIDEAWAY: The home in Foral, Portugal, where Brueckner stayed often in 2007/2008

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.

Police found numerous sick stories and child abuse images during a search at Brueckner’s box factory property in Neuwegersleben in 2016. credit Jon Clarke Olive Press Spain

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.

Jon Clarke reports for ITN news during the three day search last week

“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.”

Christian Brueckner And Maddie
Christian Brueckner remains the leading suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann

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.

Madeleine Van
Brueckner’s distinctive yellow and white VW van was regularly seen around the area and on nearby beaches in 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.

Please sent comments to newsdesk@theolivepress.es

Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)

Jon Clarke is a Londoner who worked at the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday as an investigative journalist before moving to Spain in 2003 where he helped set up the Olive Press.

After studying Geography at Manchester University he fell in love with Spain during a two-year stint teaching English in Madrid.

On returning to London, he studied journalism and landed his first job at the weekly Informer newspaper in Teddington, covering hundreds of stories in areas including Hounslow, Richmond and Harrow.

This led on to work at the Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Mirror, Standard and even the Sun, before he landed his first full time job at the Daily Mail.

After a year on the Newsdesk he worked as a Showbiz correspondent covering mostly music, including the rise of the Spice Girls, the rivalry between Oasis and Blur and interviewed many famous musicians such as Joe Strummer and Ray Manzarak, as well as Peter Gabriel and Bjorn from Abba on his own private island.

After a year as the News Editor at the UK’s largest-selling magazine Now, he returned to work as an investigative journalist in Features at the Mail on Sunday.

As well as tracking down Jimi Hendrix’ sole living heir in Sweden, while there he also helped lead the initial investigation into Prince Andrew’s seedy links to Jeffrey Epstein during three trips to America.

He had dozens of exclusive stories, while his travel writing took him to Jamaica, Brazil and Belarus.

He is the author of three books; Costa Killer, Dining Secrets of Andalucia and My Search for Madeleine.

Contact jon@theolivepress.es

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