Italian Man Arrested in Links to Madeleine Case

Police are continuing to question a convicted child abuser and his girlfriend in southern Spain last night over the kidnapping of four-year-old Madeleine McCann.

The Italian man and Portuguese woman allegedly tried to extort money from Madeleine's parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, offering them information about their daughter. The Italian man wanted to negotiate with the couple to claim the £2.5m reward on offer for Madeleine's safe return.

Danilo Chemello, 61, and Aurora Pereira Vaz were arrested in a dawn raid on a beachside villa in the exclusive Sotogrande resort in Algeciras. Reports said part of the villa's garage had been converted into a child's bedroom.

Chemello has been on the run from French authorities over his suspected links to criminal activities. The Italian national was previously jailed for 18 months for child abuse. His girlfriend is reportedly being investigated over allegations that she is involved in illegal adoptions in Europe.

A Spanish police spokesman said last night: "The police began to investigate them after finding out they attempted to get in contact with the parents of Madeleine to claim the reward offered. The facts suggest that this is some fraudsters although the police investigation is not closed."

It is now 57 days since Madeleine, from Rothley, Leicestershire, went missing from her hotel room in the Portuguese resort Praia da Luz while her parents were eating in a restaurant just 100 yards away.

Since then, the couple have held onto their Catholic faith throughout the ordeal of searching for their daughter. They have regularly attended a Catholic church in Portugal and travelled to Rome to meet Pope Benedict XVI, who prayed for their daughter.

The McCanns have stayed in Portugal since she disappeared, insisting they will not leave until she is found.