Days after his release, Brueckner entered a phone shop in Neumunster, Germany, attempting to buy an untraceable mobile phone.

Christian Brueckner is now free (Image: Daily Mirror)

Christian Brueckner, the prime suspect in Madeleine McCann’s 2007 disappearance, has sparked alarm in Germany with actions suggesting he’s planning to flee the country. Released from prison on September 17 after serving seven years for a 2005 rape in Praia da Luz, Portugal – the same resort where Madeleine vanished – the 49-year-old’s recent behaviour has put police on high alert.

Days after his release, Brueckner entered a phone shop in Neumunster, Germany, attempting to buy an untraceable mobile phone. Farouk Salah-Brahmin, the 32-year-old shop manager, told The Sun: “He said he wanted to learn how to use WhatsApp because he had never used it before. He told me he wanted to be able to stay in touch with his lawyers.”

Mr Salah-Brahmin’s suspicions were raised when Brueckner asked for a SIM card without providing his ID.

He said: “It was then he really weirdly asked me if he could buy a Sim card without an identity card. That would mean no one could trace his calls.”

Recognising the convicted sex offender, Mr Salah-Brahmin refused, stating: “I said, ‘No way, I know who you are’ because it’s illegal to register a phone without an ID card in Germany.”

Compounding fears, Brueckner’s ID card lacked court-ordered travel restrictions.

Madeleine McCann has been missing since 2007 (Image: PA)

Mr Salah-Brahmin said: “When he gave me his identity card, I was completely shocked because there were no travel limitations on it. It means right now he can get on a plane or go wherever he wants.”

This oversight has heightened concerns that Brueckner, deemed a flight risk, could slip away undetected. German police, now alerted, are closely monitoring his movements.

Brueckner’s actions suggest a calculated effort to evade surveillance. Initially taken to Kiel, where his lawyers are based, he fled after one night, citing excessive police presence.

Mr Salah-Brahmin said: “He said he decided he couldn’t stay there because there were ‘too many police’. He wanted to go somewhere where the police wouldn’t follow him all the time, even though he asked for police protection.”

Brueckner then registered as homeless in Neumünster, exploiting a system he knew would provide an apartment.

Mr Salah-Brahmin continued: “He said he knew that meant he would get given an apartment here. He knew how the system works.

Christian Bruckner’s first stop after gaining his freedom – McDonalds (Image: Phil Harris)

“He said he wants to stay here and make a life… But everyone hates him here. No one wants him here.”

The Madeleine McCann case remains one of the world’s most enduring mysteries. The three-year-old vanished from her family’s apartment in Praia da Luz in 2007 while her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, dined nearby.

German prosecutors named Brueckner a suspect in 2020, citing phone records placing him in the resort at the time and his history of burglaries and sexual offences.

A 2019 conviction for the Praia da Luz rape, linked by DNA evidence, and an alleged confession to a friend—“she didn’t scream”—bolster the case against him, though no charges have been filed.

Child protection expert Jim Gamble, who led the UK’s 2010 review of the case, has long warned of Brueckner’s danger.

In July Mr Gamble told Express.co.uk: “If Christian Brueckner completes his sentence and is released, I would be concerned regardless of his status as a suspect… because he’s proven that he’s a dangerous individual who targets the young and the most vulnerable.”

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Kate and Gerry McCann have been waiting 18 years for answers (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

He noted the circumstantial evidence: “He lived within a mile of the crime… Additionally there was a mobile phone which could be linked to Brueckner which could be placed in proximity to within 30 minutes of the crime taking place.”

Brueckner’s defiance is clear despite strict post-release conditions subsequently described as “house arrest” by Mr Gamble to Express.co.uk—“They’re putting a tracking device on him, so he’ll have to wear an ankle bracelet… There’s going to be an area within which he must stay”.

Spotted partying at a nightclub and begging for pizzas in disguise within 48 hours of release, Brueckner has openly flouted his lawyers’ advice.

Mr Gamble nevertheless remains hopeful, telling Express.co.uk: “I believe in my lifetime we will find out what happened to Madeleine McCann. Someone somewhere knows something… that’ll provide that piece of the jigsaw puzzle or DNA.”

As Brueckner’s actions fuel fears of flight, the McCanns’ 18-year quest for justice hangs in the balance, with police likely to be working behind the scenes to prevent him from absconding.