An urgent probe has been launched after the prime suspect behind the disappearance of Madeleine McCann allegedly attacked German officers outside a supermarket.
Police say Christian Brueckner, who has not been charged with the toddler's abduction, launched a "physical attack" on officers in the city of Kiel on June 6.
The 49-year-old convicted rapist became embroiled in the altercation after taking photos of police officers, according to Der Spiegel.
The German magazine reported that officers were unhappy at being photographed and ordered Brueckner to hand over his phone.
After he refused to do so, a scuffle ensued, and "an officer sustained injuries", a Kiel police spokeswoman said.
She did not make any other comments in relation to the incident, citing the ongoing investigation into the altercation.
The same police force are also probing Brueckner over an alleged brawl with another man earlier this year.
The 49-year-old has a long criminal history, having been previously convicted for child sex abuse, rape, theft and drug offences.
Police say Christian Brueckner launched a 'physical attack' on officers in the city of Kiel last month
| REUTERSLast month, German police handed over crucial files to Scotland Yard regarding the vile pervert.
Sources told The Sun that the files transferred to British investigators contain significant evidence concerning the 49-year-old.
"These developments are huge - it shows the Met's interest in Brueckner is real. They are after him - like the Germans," they told the newspaper.
The dossier is understood to contain material relating to a hard-drive discovered with image files from Portugal dating to the period when Madeleine vanished.
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One officer 'sustained injuries' in the altercation, a Kiel police spokeswoman said
|GETTY
In September, Brueckner was released from prison after serving a seven-year prison sentence for raping a 72-year-old woman in part of Portugal's Algarve region where the British toddler went missing.
German prosecutors first named the convicted sex offender as a suspect in her disappearance in 2020 while he was in jail.
He has long-denied any connection to Madeleine's disappearance.
In May, it was revealed Scotland Yard were seeking to bring the 49-year-old to Britain to stand trial over the child's abduction and murder.
Brueckner was living a mile away form the Praia da Luz hotel where Madeleine, three, went missing in 2007.
German prosecutors first named the convicted sex offender as a suspect in Madeleine's disappearance in 2020
| PAHer disappearance is still being investigated by the Met as a missing persons case, but a small group of specialist detectives have been building the case to the Crown Prosecution Service for suspected abduction and murder.
At the time, a Met spokesman told GB News: “The Met’s investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has been active since 2011.
"A dedicated team continues to examine the events of the evening of 3 May 2007 in Praia da Luz, while supporting and updating Madeleine’s family.
“As part of ongoing enquiries, we remain in close working discussion with policing colleagues in Germany and Portugal.
“We will continue to pursue any viable lines of enquiry.”