Madeleine McCann suspects face questioning as Met arrive in Portugal

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jun/30/madeleine-mccann-suspects-british-detectives

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British detectives have arrived in Portugal before the questioning of several suspects by Portuguese police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

The suspects, who have been identified by investigators from Scotland Yard, include Russian-born citizens who have acquired Portuguese nationality, sources close to the case told the Guardian.

The interview process will take place over a number of days starting on Tuesday, using some questions prepared by the Metropolitan police, and has to be concluded within a predetermined timeframe agreed by both the British and Portuguese forces.

All the suspects who will be questioned in the coming days are thought to be Portuguese nationals.

"The suspects were all identified by the Metropolitan police. Questioning will be conducted by Portuguese Polícia Judiciária (PJ) detectives. The suspects have all been notified and will be appearing before police on Tuesday and in the coming days," one source said.

Those who have been asked to come for questioning have been identified as "arguidos", a Portuguese term for someone who is a suspect, but which also garnered infamy when Madeleine's parents, along with a British expatriate called Robert Murat, were given the status by Portuguese authorities. All three were cleared by a prosecutor in 2008.

"Questioning will be conducted solely by the PJ", the source explained, "but British detectives will be allowed to make suggestions during questioning, though they will not be allowed to direct them at the suspects."

When questioned over whether the questioning could take days or weeks, the source replied: "Definitely days."

A team of British police officers ended an unprecedented ground-level operation on 11 June after scouring 60,000 sq metres of wasteland in Praia da Luz, the holiday resort where she was last seen alive seven years ago.

In a statement issued at the time, Scotland Yard said the meticulous searches were based on the hypothesis that Madeleine was murdered and buried locally, with sources saying on Monday night the latest round of questioning is connected with searches that suspects face took place in Praia da Luz last month.