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Police have released the only formal suspect in the case of missing Madeleine
McCann after quizzing him for more than eight hours.
Robert Murat, 33, who has denied any involvement in her abduction, made no
comment as he left Portimao police station in the Algarve.
It was the third time Portuguese detectives had questioned the Briton, who
lives in the same resort where four-year-old Madeleine vanished on May 3.
Police chief inspector Olegario de Sousa confirmed Mr
Murat remains a suspect in the case.
He did not say whether police were closer to finding Madeleine.
"Obviously, we will be listening to all people connected to the case
throughout the week," he added.
Detectives wanted him to clarify various details and possible contradictions
from his previous statements in the light of new information they received.
According to a newspaper in Portugal,
24 horas, authorities discovered an e-mail on his
computer which makes reference to an English child.
Sky's crime correspondent Martin Brunt said officers had wanted to
"clarify pieces of evidence, conflicting pieces of evidence."
He added: "One of the crucial aspects is that police believe he was
involved in the search but he told me he was nowhere near the McCann apartment
until the next morning.
"When I left Portugal
after the initial investigation, police were desperately going back to the
night of the search when Madeleine disappeared, asking people if Mr Murat was
involved in the searches.
"But they couldn't find anybody who could confirm he was there."
Brunt went on: "He has been adamant that he played no part in her
disappearance and he is waiting for the day that they tell him he is no longer
a suspect."
Mr Murat's spokesman Tuck Price said he believed the questioning,
was simply "part of the process".
A spokesman for the McCann family, Justine McGuinness,
said the issue was a matter for Portuguese detectives.
She added that Madeleine's parents, Gerry and Kate, did not wish to comment on
the latest developments.
Officers believe more than one person is responsible for the girl's abduction.
The youngster was snatched from her bed in the holiday resort of Praia da Luz as her parents dined at a tapas bar nearby.
Mr Murat, who lived with his mother in the resort, was first questioned by
police a fortnight after her disappearance. |
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