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Ministers branded 'Brit' private eye
‘irresponsible’ for alerting alleged
kidnapper |
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Madeleine McCann disappeared
from her holiday apartment
in Praia da Luz in 2007 |
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MADELEINE McCann’s safety could have
been put further at risk by the
"irresponsible" investigator who sparked
a massive manhunt for the missing girl
in Paraguay, authorities have claimed.
Officials in the South American country
have blasted British private eye Miraz
Ullah Ali for going public with his
claims Maddie had been spotted – because
it could have alerted the alleged
kidnapper.
And last night it emerged the mystery
private eye left the country on Monday
afternoon after a stay of only three
days – despite claiming Maddie was being
held by a local woman. |
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Reports Madeleine McCann has
been spotted in Paraguay are
being investigated by the
Met |
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Jorge Kronawetter, Director of
Immigrations, said Ali flew into Silvio
Pettirossi International Airport last
Friday with Brazilian carrier TAM
claiming to be a tourist and left with
the same airline at 4.34pm local time on
Monday for an unknown final destination.
Ali, who is thought to be based in
Britain, said his mission was to see the
city of Aregua for himself and publish
an appeal for information in a local
paper.
But he sparked the fury of police and
government officials after failing to
alert the authorities before going
public with his appeal for Maddie, who
would now be 12.
Daily newspaper Color ABC, which ran the
ad on Ali’s behalf, also revealed today
that he spoke no Spanish and made no
attempt to hire a translator or speak
with locals in Aregua, a city of around
100,000 inhabitants around 20 miles from
the capital Paraguay. |
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Researcher Miraz Ullah Ali
claims he saw Maddie in
Paraguay |
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Police including anti-kidnap specialists
have been hunting for missing Madeleine
after being alerted by the ad - but have
so far drawn a blank.
Vice interior minister Jalil Rachid told
a radio interviewer: “I think what this
supposed investigator did was very
foolish.
“He’s saying missing Madeleine is in
Aregua and he goes there to take some
pictures and then returns. Obviously he
left empty-handed.
“I believe he’s been very irresponsible
and committed a grave error in the way
he’s acted.
“This man has now left Paraguay and is
back in London as far as I know.
“The first suspicion that comes to mind
is that he’s trying to extort money out
of Madeleine’s family.
“If you’re an investigator and you’ve
got information pointing towards a
certain objective, you’re not going to
abandon the place where that objective
is.
“You’re at least going to alert the
security forces because from the point
of view of an investigator, tracking
down this missing girl would be a huge
professional coup.
“It’s illogical and totally incoherent
what this man has done.
“It makes no sense to simply take a few
photos and then leave. |
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He added: “We sent personnel to Aregua
but didn’t obtain any information
pointing towards Madeleine being there.
“That’s not to say we won’t in the
future but at the moment we’ve got
nothing.”
Interpol chief Victor Tandi added: “He
committed a grave error if his
information was right because he’s
alerting the kidnapper that he’s looking
for them. It’s very strange. |
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An artists impression of
maddie aged nine, released
in 2012. She would now be
12. |
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Ali described himself in his newspaper
ad, where he gave his full name as Miraz
Ullah Ali Isa, as a London-based private
eye and claimed Madeleine had been
smuggled out of Portugal by boat.
He said: “We have been informed that
Madeleine McCann is living in Aregua,
possibly with a woman.
“She was kidnapped from her holiday
apartment in Praia da Luz on the Algarve
on May 3 2007 when she was three.
“She is now twelve. We believe two men
were involved and that they smuggled her
out of the country using a boat.
“Madeleine has suffered terribly. There
is a reward of two million euros for
information leading to her safe
recovery.” |
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Last month Kate said she
believed Madeleine was still
in the Algarve. She's
pictured here with husband
Gerry |
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He urged anyone with information to
contact the local police or call Met
Police investigators leading the hunt
for Madeleine.
The report also heaped further heartache
onto Kate and Gerry McCann, who were
made aware of the potential sighting.
Their daughter disappeared from a
holiday apartment in Praia de Luz,
Algarve in 2007 when she was just
three-years-old. While her family have
never given up hope of finding her
alive, countless sightings around the
world have come to nothing.
Since her apparent abduction, she has
been 'spotted' in countries including
Portugal, Sweden, Belgium, Morocco and
The Netherlands. |
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