Met to look at option of extradition to UK for McCann suspect

The British police investigation into Madeleine McCann will explore extraditing the German national Christian Brückner to the UK to stand trial over the three-year-old's disappearance, the Metropolitan police commissioner has said.

- Vikram Dodd Police and crime correspondent

Brückner was released from a German prison yesterday after serving a seven-year jail term for the rape of an elderly woman in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2005, two years before Madeleine disappeared while on holiday with her family in the same town.

British police have been formally involved since 2011 in supporting Portuguese and German efforts to solve the mystery of her disappearance.

British police regard Brückner, 49, as their main suspect, as do their European counterparts. He was released from jail after an investigation did not produce enough evidence to support a charge over Madeleine's disappearance under German law.

Mark Rowley, the Met commissioner, said: "They've got to a particular point in their inquiry where the prosecutor doesn't feel they're able to prosecute. We're now at a stage where he remains a suspect for us. We're taking stock.