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| Madeleine McCann case: Portuguese police reopen inquiry | Madeleine McCann case: Portuguese police reopen inquiry |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Portuguese police have reopened their inquiry into the disappearance of British girl Madeleine McCann, the public prosecutor's office has said. | Portuguese police have reopened their inquiry into the disappearance of British girl Madeleine McCann, the public prosecutor's office has said. |
| Madeleine, from Leicestershire, was three when she disappeared from Praia da Luz in the Algarve in May 2007. | |
| Portugal's attorney-general said "new elements of evidence" justified the "continuation of the investigation", which was shelved in 2008. | |
| Madeleine's parents said they hoped for "the answers we so desperately need". | |
| Scotland Yard began a review of the case in May 2011 - codenamed Operation Grange - and opened a formal investigation in July this year. | |
| They said the Portuguese decision followed the "discovery of new lines of inquiry as a result of an internal review of the original investigation by the Portuguese Policia Judiciaria". | |
| 'Highly significant' | |
| It comes after Scotland Yard said at a briefing earlier this year that the Portuguese inquiry would not be re-opened until judges in Portugal were convinced there were solid grounds to do so. | |
| It would appear the decision is highly significant, BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw said. | |
| Scotland Yard said Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley and Det Ch Insp Andy Redwood attended a meeting with senior Portuguese officers on 17 October in Lisbon for a briefing on the new lines of enquiry which they say "are separate" to the lines of inquiry being followed by the Met. | |
| Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, were also briefed on the plans to apply to reopen the investigation. | |
| They said they were "very pleased" at the development. | |
| Mr Rowley, assistant commissioner for specialist crime and operations, said in a statement: "The meeting was very positive, and we and the Policia Judiciaria have a shared determination to do everything possible to discover what happened to Madeleine. | |
| "Colleagues in Portugal fully shared with us the developments in their review, and the fact that they were taking the significant step of applying for the investigation to be formally reopened. | |
| "Today's development is good news. Combined with the formal re-opening of the Portuguese investigation today, and our ever closer working relationship, I believe that we have the best opportunity yet to finally understand what happened to Madeleine." | |
| The Met said the Portuguese investigation would run in parallel with its own operation. | |
| Thursday 3 May 2007: Timeline | |
| Clickable map and timeline | |
| Madeleine went missing from her family's holiday apartment on 3 May 2007, as her parents dined with friends at a nearby tapas bar. | |
| The three-year-old and her brother and sister were left in the apartment at 20:30, with their father checking on them at 21:05. | |
| Mrs McCann raised the alarm at 22:00 when she realised Madeleine was gone. | |
| Since then there has been much speculation about what happened to the youngster. | |
| A Met Police appeal launched on BBC Crimewatch last week prompted 2,400 responses. | |
| Met detectives also released two e-fits of a man seen carrying a child in Praia da Luz at 22:00 on the night Madeleine went missing and it was revealed that they now suspected Madeleine could have been taken later than previously thought - just before her mother returned to the apartment to check on her. |