The suspect was living in Portugal doing casual work in the hotel and catering industry and is also accused of property crimes, robberies in hotels or holiday establishments, and drug-related offences. The German, British and Portuguese police are now looking for witnesses to try to clarify where the suspect was on the day of the girl’s disappearance, between 9 and 10 p.m. Photos have also been released of two dark-coloured Jaguar XJR 6 vehicles and a light-coloured Volkswagen T3 Westfalia van, with which Christian B. was apparently able to abduct the girl.
There are also indications that he had a telephone conversation that day that ended an hour before the girl disappeared from the apartment where she was sleeping with her twin brothers while her parents were having dinner at a nearby restaurant.
In May 2019, local Portuguese media reported that a German citizen, convicted of the murder of three children and dismissed as a suspect by Scotland Yard in 2011, was under investigation in connection with the “Madeleine case”.