Urgent hunt for NEW Madeleine McCann suspect & Christian Brueckner ‘partner in crime’ who vanished after armed cop raid
POLICE are urgently searching for a new suspect in the Madeleine McCann case – a close pal and alleged “partner in crime” of Christian Brueckner.
They need to ask Ralph H “about his connection” to the case of the missing British girl, who vanished in Portugal in 2007.
Armed cops surrounded his heavily-fortified property just outside Braunschweig, in Germany, this week.
Up to ten police armed with machine guns spent an hour outside the home, next door to where Brueckner, 47, once rented.
Ralph, a long-time pal of the sex offender, has vanished with police now urgently hunting for him.
The 56-year-old allegedly worked closely with Brueckner and served as an accomplice in crime.
He admitted to robbing homes with the paedophile – who is currently on trial over five sex crimes in Portugal – and drove a number of his vehicles.
“I acted as a lookout for him during burglaries and as a getaway driver as well,” he recently admitted.
“I know exactly the sort of crimes he got up to and what he did on the dark web.”
A detective with BKA – Germany’s version of the FBI – confirmed: “We urgently need to speak to this man in connection to his relationship with Christian B.
“We must find him to ask him about missing Madeleine McCann.”
He continued: “He’s not at home, he doesn’t answer the phone, he’s apparently disappeared.”
Prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters said: “He’s a neighbour who could be interesting to talk to, but we can’t give out any details on operative matters.”
The raid came at the small property in the Kennelblick allotment garden on Wednesday last week.
The white house is well guarded with motion detectors and CCTV cameras – four in total outside.
As police didn’t have a search warrant they were unable to break in.
Neighbour Anja said: “I saw the officers turn up really quietly, there were probably eight to ten of them.
“It was quite frightening suddenly seeing them creep in with their helmets and bulletproof vests and jump over his fence.”
I know exactly the sort of crimes he got up to and what he did on the dark web.
Ralph H
She added: “They surrounded his home and shouted out his name, but with no luck.
“The officers later asked me if I had any idea where Ralph could be.
“It was about midday and I thought he was out working.
“But it turns out he hasn’t been seen for nearly a week now.”
According to neighbours, Brueckner and Ralph ran a number of “schemes” together.
One said: “The pair grew and sold marijuana and stole a lot together.
“They were both also very sleazy and involved in various schemes.”
Key dates in Madeleine McCann's disappearance
MADELEINE McCann vanished on May 3, 2007 - and cops believe Brueckner could have been behind her disappearance.
Almost 17 years on, no one has been charged in connection. These are the key dates:
May 3, 2007 – Kate McCann finds Madeleine missing at 10pm
May 14, 2007 – Property developer Robert Murat is named an “arguido” or formal suspect
August 31, 2007 – The McCanns launch libel action against Tal e Qual – a newspaper that claimed the couple killed Madeleine
September 7, 2007 – Kate and Gerry McCann are made “arguidos”
September 9, 2007– Madeleine’s parents return to England with their two-year-old twins
October 2, 2007– Lead detective Goncalo Amaral is taken off the case after criticising British police in a newspaper interview
July 21, 2009 – Portuguese police lift the “arguido” status of both Robert Murat and the McCanns
May 12, 2011 – On Madeleine’s eighth birthday, Scotland Yard launches a review into the case
April 25, 2012 – Scotland Yard officers say they believe Madeleine McCann is still alive
July 4, 2013 – Two years into a review of the case, Scotland Yard launched its own investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance
October 24, 2013– Portuguese police reopen their case after new lines of inquiry are found
November 27, 2013 – Met Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe called for British and Portuguese police to work together
October 28, 2015 – Scotland Yard reduces the number of officers working on Madeleine’s disappearance
March 11, 2017 – The Home Office grants Operation Grange an extra £85,000 to continue from April until September
September 28, 2017 – British police are granted £154,000 to keep the probe going until March 2018
November 2017 – Cops moved the search to Bulgaria
May 2018 – Another round of funding, thought to be in the region of £150,000 is granted
September 2018 – An extra six months of funding is requested from the Home Office
November 2018 – More funding, thought to be in the region of £150,000 is granted
November 2018 – UK police re-examine a theory Madeleine left the apartment to look for her parents
June 2019 – Another round of funding, believed to be £300,000 of government cash is granted
June 2019 – Portuguese police are probing a “new clue and suspect” after talks with British officers
June 2020 – New prime suspect revealed as a German paedo Christian Brueckner
April 2022 – Brueckner formally made an “arguido”
May 2023 – Police search remote Algarve reservoir Brueckner called his “little paradise”
He added: “Ralph definitely knows everything about Brueckner’s life.
“That’s why the police are so keen to speak to him.”
The friend, who also lives in the allotment area just outside Braunschweig, added that Ralph’s orange VW Golf had not been seen for over a week.
“He has no intention of helping the police.
“I have no idea when – or if – he will be back.”
The president of the Kennelblick community, Jurgen Krumstroh, confirmed the raid.
He said: “The police were looking for Ralph, but I don’t know exactly why.”
Brueckner rented the allotment plot with a small blue gingerbread-type house on it for three years.
He divided his time between the rural home and a kiosk in the nearby city, where he is currently on trial for five other sex offences.
He is accused of three rapes and two offences against children, all taking place in Portugal between the years of 2000 and 2017.
The convicted paedophile lived just outside Praia da Luz – where Madeleine went missing at the age of three – for ten years.
German police are convinced he snatched and later killed her and confirmed that his phone was being used at the time she vanished.
The results of a search last year at the nearby Arade Lake, where Brueckner spent considerable time, have still not been announced.
The current trial continues tomorrow in Braunschweig, with evidence being heard from his former friend Christian Post, who now lives in Cambodia.
