 Missing ... Posters displayed in the Algarve highlight the hunt for Madeleine and a planned prayer vigil for the four-year-old / Reuters |
THE home of a British woman and her adult son is being searched by Portuguese police leading the hunt for missing British girl Madeleine McCann, and the man has been taken in for questioning.
Sky News says the home is 150 metres from the holiday unit from which the four-year-old disappeared last week as her parents dined nearby.
The case is being treated as an abduction.
Sky says the son has been taken to the local police headquarters for questioning, but his mother is insisting he has not been arrested.
Journalists say he has often spoken to reporters and had said Madeleine looked like his daughter in England.
PA and Sky say that police had decided to search the house after a tipoff from a journalist who found his behaviour suspicious.
"Basically he surfaced on Friday afternoon last week and was walking around as if he was somebody official. He claimed that he was just a local guy who spoke fluent Portuguese and English and was helping the family,`` the journalist told PA.
"He was coming in and out of the family apartment speaking with the media and acting like he was somebody official. But when questioned about it, he was very vague about his position.``
A local translator said that the man had also told British media that he had a three or four-year-old daughter.
He is also said to have helped Portuguese police and acted as a translator.
Sky says forensic officers are at his villa, conducting a detailed search, including draining the pool and checking a shed at the back of the property.
Parents positive
Overnight Madeleine`s parents said they remained positive that their daughter was safe and vowed to keep up the search for her.
"Until there is concrete evidence to the contrary, we believe that Madeleine is safe and being looked after and that is how we can continue in our efforts," said Gerry McCann.
His wife Kate was asked when she was considering leaving Praia da Luz, in Portugal`s Algarve, and going home.
"We can`t even consider returning home at the moment, I absolutely can`t even let it enter my head," she said.
The McCanns praised the Portuguese police for their work and thanked people for the widespread support they had received.
"You know that we are taking tremendous strength from the warmth and the spiritual outpouring that we have received here and from all around the world," Gerry said.
High-profile figures in Britain, including Harry Potter author JK Rowling and Sir Richard Branson, have contributed to a reward to encourage Madeleine`s return that now tops $9 million.
With Reuters and AFP
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