Madeleine McCann: Ex British police detective makes bombshell claim about new search

A former British police detective has made a bombshell claim about the new search for

The toddler went missing during a family holiday in the resort of Praia da Luz on the Algarve in on May 3 2007. Over the last 18 years there has been no positive sighting and no one has been charged with her abduction, but her have never given up hope

Fresh police searches are due to start today near the spot where was last seen. German have requested the searches, expected to take place between Praia da Luz where the three-year-old vanished and a house near the holiday resort where principal suspect used to live.

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A well-placed source confirmed this week’s operation was scheduled get underway tomorrow but said some preparation work may take place beforehand. He said: “They will be land searches only. The main objective is to look for any signs of Madeleine’s body.”

Former British Police detective Mark Williams-Thomas, who has worked on some of the world's most high profile cases, has given his take on the new searches for Madeleine McCann.

Taking to social media yestreday Mark wrote: "The police in Portugal are going to search for the German police - the areas surrounding where Christian B (CB) rented a small farm building . The search is looking for evidence of Madeleine McCann’s body . I thoroughly investigated this whole area for my series and we filmed a lot of the area around . It was 10 months before Madeleine went missing that CB was last seen at that address . I cannot see any evidence being found."

The new search will last three days, unless police find anything significant, and will use radar devices to scan 15ft down in Praia da Luz in a desperate attempt to find clues of what happened to Madeleine. A well-placed Portuguese source said said: "They will be land searches only. The main objective is to look for any signs of Madeleine’s body."

Detectives acting on a request from a German public prosecutor will carry out “a broad range” of searches. At least 30 agents from Germany’s BKA are involved in the search and are equipped with ground-penetrating radar that can scan 15ft down into the earth. They will be focusing on the area near a cottage used by the main suspect and nearby scrubland.

The last time police resumed searches in the case was in 2023, when detectives from the three countries took part in an operation searching near a dam and a reservoir about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the Praia da Luz resort.

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