Christian Brückner, the prime suspect in the 2007 disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann, was released from prison on Tuesday after serving a seven-year sentence for an unrelated rape conviction, prompting renewed scrutiny in the long-unsolved case.

Brückner, 48, walked free from Sehnde prison near Hannover, driven away by his lawyer Friedrich Fulscher. Under German privacy laws, he cannot be fully identified. As part of his release conditions, Brückner has been fitted with an electronic ankle tag, surrendered his passport, and must register his permanent address with probation officers. His lawyer Philipp Marquort criticized the measures as an attempt to maintain pre-trial detention access, stating, "We will not accept that."

Braunschweig prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters, leading the Madeleine investigation, told Sky News he nearly has enough evidence to charge Brückner but lacks justification for arrest. Wolters described the suspect as "very dangerous" with a risk of reoffending, noting ongoing lines of inquiry. Brückner, who denies involvement, has refused to answer questions from German, Portuguese, and UK investigators.

The case dates to May 3, 2007, when three-year-old Madeleine vanished from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal. Brückner, a convicted sex offender with a history of child abuse, theft, drug trafficking, and forgery, was identified as the main suspect in 2020 after Portuguese authorities named him. Evidence includes his phone near the scene, a reported confession to a friend, and his car reregistered the day after. No forensic links exist, and after 18 years, prospects are slim.

Brückner was convicted in 2023 of raping a 72-year-old American tourist in Praia da Luz in 2005, two years before Madeleine's disappearance. He faces a possible retrial for acquittal on other rape and child sex charges and a court appearance next month for insulting a prison warder, which could return him to jail.

Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, continue to hope she is alive, with no evidence confirming her death. Scotland Yard's investigation, which sought Brückner's cooperation, remains open. Crime analyst Mark T. Hofmann questioned Brückner’s rehabilitation prospects, citing his repeated offenses.