A former top official has revealed that police put out a warning against a notorious paedophile network three days before Madeleine McCann vanished.
Marc Verwilghen, who served as Belgium justice minister for three years, believes a gang of traffickers with links to his nation may be connected to her disappearance.
Three-year-old Madeleine vanished from the holiday resort of Praia da Luz, on the Algarve, in May 2007 while her parents enjoyed a meal at a nearby restaurant, sparking a global search.
Verwilghen told The Sun that he believes she may have been taken by a gang headed by notorious murderer and paedophile Marc Dutroux.
The ex-official, who led an inquiry into Dutroux’s actions, told the newspaper: ‘As soon as I heard about the case I had deja vu — because it reminded me straight away of Dutroux.
‘When you look at the case it is of course possible Madeleine was stolen to order. The alert that was sent looks like it must have come from Belgium police and it should have been taken seriously.’
Dutroux, now 68, abducted, raped and killed several girls across Belgium throughout the 1990s.
Madeleine went missing from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in Portugal’s Algarve region in May 2007 while her parents dined at a nearby tapas bar
Verwilghen told The Sun that he believes she may have been taken by a gang headed by notorious murderer and paedophile Marc Dutroux (pictured)
He was arrested in 1996 and was imprisoned for life in 2004, with cops believing he had links to networks of child sex-traffickers across Europe.
Verwilghen said it had been ‘clear paedophile networks and child- trafficking really did exist in Europe’. But, the official added, that the enquiry committee was never allowed ‘to look into them properly’.
He said intelligence suggested a paedophile ring in Belegium ‘made an order for a young girl three days before Madeleine McCann was taken’.
Verwilghen finalised: ‘Somebody connected to this group saw Maddie, took a photograph of her and sent it to Belgium. The purchaser agreed that the girl was suitable and Maddie was taken.’
It comes ahead of the release of Christian Brueckner, the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine.
The Met Police‘s DCI Mark Cranwell revealed Brueckner had rejected an invitation to sit down with Scotland Yard.
The chief suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann (pictured) has refused to be interviewed by British police ahead of his imminent release
Pictured: Christian Brueckner sits in the courtroom during his trial at Braunschweig Regional Court, in Brunswick, Germany, Wednesday, April 3, 2024
DCI Cranwell said: ‘For a number of years we have worked closely with our policing colleagues in Germany and Portugal to investigate the disappearance of Madeleine McCann and support Madeleine’s family to understand what happened on the evening of May 3, 2007.
‘We are aware of the pending release from prison of a 49-year-old German man who has been the primary suspect in the German federal investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance.
‘We can confirm that this individual remains a suspect in the Metropolitan Police’s own investigation.
‘We have requested an interview with this German suspect but, for legal reasons, this can only be done via an International Letter of Request which has been submitted.
‘It was subsequently refused by the suspect. In the absence of an interview, we will nevertheless continue to pursue any viable lines of enquiry.’
