The current prime suspect in the case relating to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has been charged with several sexual offenses.
On Tuesday (October 11), the Braunschweig prosecutor's office revealed in a statement that the 45-year-old suspect Christian Brueckner has been charged with three offenses relating to crimes they were allegedly committed in Portugal between December 2000 and June 2017, The Independent reports.
"The accused is the same person against whom charges were brought in connection with the disappearance of the then 3-year-old British girl Madeleine Beth McCann,” the prosecutor's office said in its statement.
"Specifically, the accused is charged with three offenses of aggravated rape and two offenses of sexual abuse of children," the statement added.
The prosecutor's office has not revealed if the charges are related to the Madeleine McCann case.
Brueckner was declared an "arguido" by Portuguese prosecutors in in McCann's disappearance earlier this year. "Arguido" is term used by the country's authorities to categorize somebody who is being treated as more than a witness, but is yet to be arrested or charged.
The announcement came as the 15-year legal deadline approached.
McCann disappeared when she was just three years old while on vacation with her family in Praia da Luz, Portugal, back in 2007.
At the time of the child's disappearance, her parents were dining with friends at a nearby tapas restaurant.
She has never been found.
BBC News reports that at the time of McCann's disappearance, Brueckner was living in the area out of a camper van. Experts say a phone attributed to Brueckner placed him within a 30-minute window of the McCann's vacation resort.
In response to being named as a suspect over McCann's disappearance, Brueckner sent from his prison cell - which was then seen exclusively by the Daily Mail.
In it, Brueckner described himself as "the most known bad person in the world", but said that he had nothing to do with McCann's disappearance.
In his five-page letter, the Daily Mail reports how Brueckner stated: "I'm the most-known bad person in the world and I did nothing - well almost nothing."
He went on to say that he "wasn't attacking anybody" after he turned 18, adding: "I made some silly mistakes when I was younger but who hasn't?"
Referring directly to McCann's disappearance, Brueckner continued: "They had [sic] not even one proof that I was involved with the McCann case. And they still don't have it."
He claims he is only being suspected because of his criminal history.
"They have no hairs or anything from Maddie what means [sic] that nobody can put anything like that into my stuff to find it," he wrote.
Despite the Daily Mail reporting how Brueckner was questioned by German investigators about McCann on Thursday, he writes: "I haven't been questioned on any allegations as required by German law, but it is obvious the German authorities and especially the Department of Justice, are providing the media with information about me that is likely to make me appear contemptible."
Following the news that Brueckner had been named as a a prime suspect, the missing girl's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, released a statement on the Official Find Madeleine Campaign Facebook page.
"We welcome the news that the Portuguese authorities have declared a German man an 'arguido' in relation to the disappearance of our beloved daughter Madeleine," the couple said. "This reflects progress in the investigation, being conducted by the Portuguese, German and British authorities. We are kept informed of developments by the Metropolitan police."
They continued: "It is important to note the 'arguido' has not yet been charged with any specific crime related to Madeleine’s disappearance."
"Even though the possibility may be slim, we have not given up hope that Madeleine is still alive and we will be reunited with her," they added.
