HUNT FOR MADDIE
BANDANA-clad cops hunting for Madeleine McCann arrived in blacked-out vans this morning to scour a remote reservoir suspect Christian B called his “little paradise”.
Teams of officers clutching shovels are being accompanied by sniffer dogs as they comb the desolate site under a no-fly zone in the first major search for Maddie in nine years.
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It is claimed investigators were led to the Arade Dam 45 minutes from the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz where Maddie vanished in 2007 following the discovery of shocking footage of Christian B.
The airspace above the area is open to police drones only, while roads leading to the man-made Arade Dam were sealed off yesterday as two white tents were put up.
Police from Germany, Portugal and the UK arrived at first light, with German cops heading to the site in a convoy of black-out Mercedes vans and off-road vehicles.
Officers wore kerchief-style bandanas covering the lower part of their faces to conceal their identities as they passed watching press photographers.
By noon the search team had extended to a line of at least 18 Portuguese and German officers combing every inch of an area of barren scrub near the reservoir’s shore line.
All wore rubber gloves and the Germans pulled down their face masks in 20C heat as they toiled with shovels, pick axes and rakes.
The search appeared to methodically cover ever a strip of dusty ground as close as 10 yards to the water.
Underwater teams were standing by but the initial stages of the search appeared to be focused on a land below a dense wooded copse overlooking the dam wall and a waterside tower structure.
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Portuguese Judicial police announced the extensive no-fly zone to ward off drone intrusions over the area.
But the restrictions are due to be lifted at 10pm tomorrow night - suggesting it will last no longer than two days if there is no breakthrough find.
High-tech ground penetrating radar equipment used to detect human remains buried under the earth is expected to be used.
A fire service boat was also seen nearby preparing to carry frogmen to the search spot - where they will conduct their grim hunt in pitch black water mainly by hand.
It comes as British police in charge of the probe into Maddie's disappearance were granted an extra £110,000.
Sources close to the investigation said they had evidence the clearing in the trees was the spot Christian B used to spend time at after parking up his camper van nearby.
A local who asked not to be named, but knows the area well, said: “It’s pretty well-hidden by the trees and you don’t realise it’s there until you’re almost upon it.
“People wild camp there overnight from time to time which is why you’ll find the remains of fires inside small walls of stone.
“It’s got old sun loungers in it and makeshift benches that visitors use to rest on.
“It’s very out-of-the-way and very peaceful but at the same time it’s got a slightly eerie feel about it.”
Local Portuguese reports, partly confirmed by police sources, claimed the searches were requested and authorised after German police obtained videos and photos of Christian B by the planned dig site.
LAIR RAID
They are thought to have been found buried in the paedophile’s “secret lair” in a dilapidated factory site in the German village of Neuwegersleben 65 miles south-east of Hanover.
Police raided the site in February 2016 in search of the body of missing five-year-old Inga Gehricke, who vanished while on a family outing in Saxony-Anhalt in May 2015 and has been dubbed the ‘German Maddie.’
Reports at the time said German detectives had discovered more than 8,000 images and videos on USB sticks and hard drives filled with child abuse images.
They were said to have been buried under the body of Christian B’s dead dog.
The area being searched today is around 30 miles from the Ocean Club apartment where the three-year-old disappeared from while on holiday with her parents Kate and Gerry.
Arade Dam can only be accessed by a dirt road and has been linked to the Maddie case before and was searched in 2008.
It was the location of a sighting days after she vanished with a woman handing a child matching her description to a mystery man.
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German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters, who leading the investigation into Christian B, said: "Criminal proceedings are currently taking place in Portugal as part of the investigation into the Madeleine McCann case.
"The measures are implemented through mutual legal assistance by the Portuguese law enforcement authorities with the support of officials from the Federal Criminal Police Office.
"For tactical reasons, no further information on the background is currently being released."
And a well-placed police source said: “Policia Judiciaria officers are going to be divided into four teams who will focus on a land search. It will be very meticulous and exhaustive.
“Forget the idea of big trucks and large machinery. A lot of the work that’s going to be done here today will be done by hand with backup technology.”
Jim Gable, who was the UK’s top child protection officer and oversaw a review of the Maddie case, believes detectives are now closer than ever to finally solving the case.
He told The Sun: "I think we are looking at the best chance we’ve had in 16 years to find out what happened to Madeleine,"
Mr Gamble believes the Germans must have strong evidence against Christian B based on the sheer confidence they are displaying in the probe.
He explained: “They must have something definitive.
Portugal’s Policia Judiciaria force, whose officers are doing most of the dig work today, has confirmed the searches were requested by their German counterparts the BKA.
The request was made via an international letter of request sent to Portugal’s Attorney General’s office and passed on to prosecutors in Portimao.
Portuguese officials have not yet said when it was received but it is believed to have been about two months ago.
The search is set to last for at least two days and beyond that if anything of relevance is found.
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The reservoir was searched twice in February and March 2008 by divers hired by a Portuguese lawyer.
Marcos Aragao Correia organised the privately-funded operation after claiming he received an "underworld" tip.
He claimed he had been tipped off by underworld contacts that Madeleine had been murdered and her body thrown into the reservoir within 48 hours of her disappearance.
Two bags containing small bones were found during the second search after divers had earlier recovered several lengths of cord, some plastic tape and a single white cotton sock.
Portuguese police were alerted following the discovery but subsequently ruled out the possibility the bones were human because of their size.
Madeleine’s parents Gerry and Kate McCann had previously dismissed Mr Correia as a self-publicist and said there was no evidence suggesting any link between their daughter and the reservoir.
It is not thought to have been searched since March 2008 as part of the ongoing investigation into her disappearance.
German police have had a long-running probe into Christian B - and despite slow progress just last month vowed "nothing had changed".
Christian B's lawyers have been defiant and have long insisted his innocence.
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The sex offender is known to have been living near Praia da Luz - engaging in petty crime such as stealing from hotel rooms when Maddie vanished.
Kate and Gerry are expected to be kept informed of any developments as a result of the new search through Scotland Yard liaison officers.
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