MADELEINE McCann detectives have secretly flown to Portugal to quiz two ex pals of prime suspect Christian Brueckner.
They spent several hours speaking to a couple who took in the German, months before three-year-old Madeleine was abducted from her Algarve holiday apartment in 2007.
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Brueckner was freed from prison last week after serving seven years for rape.
A gran quizzed in a secret new Madeleine McCann probe led by British cops is sure the tot was harmed by prime suspect Christian Brueckner.
Elke Piro, 69, and husband Bernhard, 72, knew Brueckner for years and have been interviewed in Portugal.
The paedo was released from jail on Wednesday after German cops failed to find a killer clue to nail him over Madeleine, who vanished aged three in Praia da Luz in 2007.
He has gone to a secret location in Germany following a seven-year term for raping a US woman in Praia in 2005.
Last night German national Elke said: “The British police interviewed us a few days ago but I’m sad because I wasn’t able to tell them anything I haven’t said before.
“It’s frustrating because I got to know Christian over many years and believe he did something bad to Maddie.
“My hope now is the police can find a way to bring him to trial in the UK. That would be wonderful.
“I will be happy to co-operate and testify in court if needed.”
Elke believes Brueckner probably targeted the McCanns’ apartment for money and stumbled across sleeping Madeleine.
She said: “I think he found her and took her and did something terrible after he panicked.
“I can’t describe my feelings when told about his past. I just wish he’d never come into our lives.”
Her comments came as Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley hinted Brueckner’s extradition was possible if new evidence is unearthed.
Operation Grange officers appear to have taken over the lead role in the 18-year hunt with their German counterparts at a standstill.
The Met did not confirm its detectives talked to the Piros.
But a source revealed detectives flew out to meet Portuguese Judicial Police.
When I knew Christian he was two people — kind and gentle or crazy and raging about sex when he had been drinking
Every Piro
The couple were then questioned at a police station in Faro, as witnesses not suspects.
Elke was interviewed for three hours, her husband for slightly less.
They first met Brueckner on the Algarve in 1995 and were still in contact by 2018. They have been interviewed previously by German and Portuguese detectives.
Mr Piro has spoken of his regrets over putting up the fiend at their home in Barrocal, a 45-minute drive from Praia, calling him “a classic sociopath”.
Elke told The Sun: “When I knew Christian he was two people — kind and gentle or crazy and raging about sex when he had been drinking.
“It hasn’t been reported very much but he was a terrible alcoholic and would fly into rages after drinking beer from 9am.
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“There was a time when I caught him shouting terrible things at my son Pablo, then 15. I heard him raging, ‘Women are only good for one thing . . . f***ing’. Pablo came back into the house saying Christian was talking b****.
“It was the kind of behaviour we got used to. I never felt threatened by Christian but had no idea what he had done at the time.
“We tolerated him because my husband felt sorry for him and wanted to help him.
“We knew he was a liar and a crook and had been in trouble with the police but we had no idea about the child sex offences. He could be charming and nice and always made an effort to look smart — I used to iron his shirts.
“But I always felt there was something strange about him that made me feel uncomfortable. I’d never let him stay in the house.
“We allowed him to live in his camper van. The longest he stayed with us was four months.
Looking back, I realised most of the time he seemed quite nice and normal. But that was probably the most dangerous thing about him. He had a split personality and now I can’t bear to think about the things he might have done
Every Piro
“Looking back, I realised most of the time he seemed quite nice and normal. But that was probably the most dangerous thing about him.
“He had a split personality and now I can’t bear to think about the things he might have done.”
The couple took in drifter Brueckner for several days in 2006 after his release from jail for fuel theft.
At one stage Elke even introduced Brueckner to a girlfriend, Nicole Fehlinger, who was part of a fostering programme in Portugal.
Brueckner last stayed with the couple in 2016, for a month when on the run from German police.
In 2019, his yellow VW camper van was seized by Portuguese cops in Mr Piro’s breaker’s yard and became the focus of police appeals when Brueckner was named as the Madeleine prime suspect in 2020.
He raped that (American) woman and it’s terrible but I never felt physically threatened by him even though I didn’t trust him
Every Piro
Elke, who works in a shop in Silves, said Brueckner’s last plea to stay in 2018 was firmly refused.
She added: “There were times when I was in my home alone when Christian was staying with us, sometimes for weeks when my husband was away in Germany.
“He raped that (American) woman and it’s terrible but I never felt physically threatened by him even though I didn’t trust him.
“He always needed us or needed something from us. We were like his anchor in a storm. But we never knew what he was hiding.”
In the recent interview, in line with protocols, Portuguese detectives spoke to the Piros and asked them questions drafted by Operation Grange cops, who were also in the room. A source said: “The quizzes took place around three weeks ago.
“The Scotland Yard team flew out once they got the formal go-ahead from prosecution chiefs. The couple were questioned as witnesses not as suspects on the basis that by their own admission they had a lot of dealings with Brueckner before and after Madeleine vanished.
There’s lots of maybes, so at the moment we are taking stock with the Germans and Portuguese
Sir Mark Rowley
“Mr Piro especially has described him as a long-time acquaintance and admitted they did various deals on cars and vans and the VW camper van was seized at his breaker’s yard.”
Mr Piro’s sons Flavio, 35, and Pablo, now 29, also knew Brueckner. They have been quizzed by police previously but were not this time.
On the possibility of extradition, Sir Mark Rowley said: “One of the reasons we are involved is that murder is in many situations extra-territorial and potentially a murder of a British subject can in certain circumstances be charged in the UK.
“There’s lots of maybes, so at the moment we are taking stock with the Germans and Portuguese.”
He said of the German inquiry: “They’ve got to the point where the prosecutor doesn’t feel they’re able to prosecute.
“Brueckner remains a suspect for us. The Germans have done everything they possibly can do within their law.”
No charges have been brought against Brueckner over Madeleine and he has insisted he has nothing to do with her disappearance.
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TIMELINE OF EVENTS
HERE’S a timeline of the case which has gripped the world.
May 3, 2007
Madeleine McCann disappears from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, sparking a massive police search and becoming one of the most famous missing persons cases in history.
January 15, 2016
Neighbour reports a possible ‘grave’ at Brueckner’s abandoned factory in East Germany.
Cops find disturbing images on USB sticks and launch a full-scale search.
February 16, 2016
Christian Brueckner is convicted for abusing a girl of five in a park after images found on his laptop.
He was sentenced to 15-months behind bars but was already on the run by then.
May 3, 2017
Around this time, Helge b calls an information hotline after watching a ten-year anniversary special on the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
He reports an alleged confession by Christian Brueckner.
September 27, 2018
On-the-run Christian Brueckner is arrested over outstanding drugs claims in Italy.
He is extradited to Germany the following year.
December 16, 2019
Christian Brueckner was convicted, in Germany, for the 2005 rape of an American woman in Praia da Luz, Portugal, after his DNA was matched to a hair found on her bed.
He was sentenced to seven years behind bars.
June 4, 2020
German prosecutors reveal to the world they have a suspect in custody under investigation for the abduction of Madeleine McCann.
For the first time they claim Madeleine is dead.
German media later name him as Christian B (Christian Brueckner).
June 23, 2023
In his first interview, witness Helge B alleges to German newspaper Bild that Christian Brueckner all-but-confessed the Madeleine abduction to him, by allegedly saying “she didn’t scream” as they talked about the case, at a music festival, in Spain.
February 16, 2024
Brueckner goes on trial accused of none-McCann allegations of rape and sex assault, in Braunschweig, Germany.
Prosecutors hope for a conviction to keep him behind bars permanently and lead to McCann charges.
October 8, 2024
Brueckner was acquitted of all claims.
Prosecutors launch an appeal, however. Decision pending.
September 17, 2025
Date on which Christian Brueckner will be released from custody without action being taken.
Prosecutors require an arrest warrant for a retrial over claims from last year – or over the McCann case.
June 1, 2025
Police Order to Reneweed Search for Clues in Praia da Luz on the Algarve in Portugal.
It lasts for just three days.