Madeleine McCann, Toscano, Malta And Going Equipped
THE Express likes Antonio Toscano, the man who claims to know who kidnapped Madeleine McCann.
The paper hears Toscano say once again that he knows of “the Frenchman” who stole Madeleine. She was abducted to order by a gang of “wealthy paedophiles”.
But Madeleine has been seen in Malta, or at least a blonde girl has; the Express talks of three fresh sightings. Is it Madeleine? And if it is, do the criminals who seem to have taken her read the UK papers, or want to be caught?
But what should we do if we do see the missing child?
Gerry McCann tells us: “The clear advice is to call the local police as soon as possible, or someone working in an official capacity such as hotel staff or tour representative.”
He goes on: “Please note that the emergency police numbers are variable in each country and for those going on holiday it might be a good idea to enter the number in your mobile phone.”
Mr McCann, who the Express likes to remind its readers is a “cardiac consultant”, needs the world’s help.
We cannot help but feel for him. We want to read about his daughter being spotted and found alive and well. But people go on holiday to escape stress and grief. Only ghouls would go equipped with a Madeleine spotting kit.
Or someone after the massive reward.
Let Me Help
Which brings us back to Toscano. “I’m certain that Madeleine is still in Europe,” says he, “perhaps even still in Portugal, that’s she is alive and is being held by this man.” The Frenchman.
He goes on: “I intend to contact the McCanns and offer my help to the family and get this girl back”.
But Gerry McCann has already advised anyone with information to go to the police.
If Toscano was wanted wouldn’t the fraught and desperate McCanns seek him out? He’s not too hard to find.
What can be gained from him contacting them, aside from fame and the authority to help shift copies of any subsequent book…
Posted: 28th, June 2007 | In: Madeleine McCann Comments (141) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink
Comments
June 29th, 2007 at 7:17 pm
Jan, I don’t believe in the ‘War on Terror’, I find unjustified attacks on civilians sickening no matter what side they’re on. But to insinuate all Muslims are terrrorists is just foul. Yes I live in the UK, I also remember the years of terrorist attacks from the IRA. Does that mean all Irish Catholics are bombers? Better be careful when you’re on your knees in Knock people.
You are vile and despicable, and an evil racist. Why did you even bring it up in here? You’re twisted and probably mentally unwell I imagine.
It’s people like you who cause disharmony and feed racism.
June 29th, 2007 at 6:11 pm
bwaaahahahahaha….roflmao….heeheeheee….the brave little toaster I have to tell pissing people off like you gives me a little pleasure. Mindless entertainment is healthy every no and then. You really did make me laugh……….BTW are you in the UK? Have you read the papers this morning? Nasty little car bomb was a dud…..probably driven by someone named “Mohamed” ;o)~
The war on terror you say? Well that’s a sham. Another tragedy started by someone who’s not quite as big of a loser as you….but he runs a very close second.
June 29th, 2007 at 4:47 pm
Yuck!
BTW tthe McCanns are all at Knock in Co Mayo now.
June 29th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
I have read some of the previous comments and I am filled with disgust . How could anyone in their right mind suspect the Mc Cann family for the disappearance of little Madeleine their beautiful little daughter. If you cannot lend support then keep quiet and find something useful to do . I only hope and pray Madeleine will be found soon .
June 29th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
Jan - you’re an animal. The papers may have announced that Mohamed is a popular name, but it was you who inferred they were all terrorists.
Oh and I’ll think you’ll find that more have died in the ‘War on Terror’ than at the WTC. You sicken me.
June 29th, 2007 at 11:50 am
[...] McCann “don’t need to worry”. But Bernard Alapetite, a.k.a. “El Francés” (according to Antonio Toscano and his friend Reinaldo Colás) after serving his three years in jail, went back to his legal [...]
June 29th, 2007 at 8:58 am
Good Morning all,
this was a slip of a report in one of the papers
talk about mud slinging, I think Mrs M needs to tread carefully, especially when it comes to charging people, what about negligence ??
But Mrs McCann has privately expressed her frustration caused by people maliciously providing false information about her daughter.
She has expressed a desire to see them prosecuted for wasting police time.
just a thought
June 29th, 2007 at 8:26 am
Never leave your kids alone. That’s what I’ve told the Police - Can I have my reward money now?
June 29th, 2007 at 7:20 am
No news is good news…as they say.
June 29th, 2007 at 6:19 am
KL,
I haven’t given any credence to the yacht story. I merely asked a question. There is something missing from the story is what I said…..There are too many holes.
Little brave toaster,
You didn’t like what I wrote? That’s just too bad. I have nothing to explain or prove to you. Did I hit a nerve? Tough! The attack on the WTC KILLED several thousand nerves so I don’t care who I offend with my thoughts.
Apparently Mohamed being the number 1 baby boy name in the UK for 2007 was newsworthy. It was newswaorthy all the way to the Americas. Why do you think that was? …now this may take some thought so take your time with it. Get a grip!
Oh and BTW, your vocabulary is pathetically common….simple trash.
June 29th, 2007 at 3:19 am
http://www.guardian.co.uk/graphic/0,,2080741,00.html
Above is a link to the map of the McCann’s apartment and Tapas Bar. Before comparing what the Mccanns did to parents going into their garden or cleaning out a shed in their yard, you may want to notice:
1.) Their “unlocked” apartment is located off a busy road;
2.) There are walkways/sidewalks, bushes, another building and a pool in between the “unlocked” apartment and the Tapas Bar.
Clearly the fault lies with whomever took Madeleine, but please do not describe the distance and situation as one it is not.
The parents, other relatives, and friends are always the first suspects. Hopefully, they were all seriously considered and cleared. The father was the last to see her when he checked on Madeleine; he was also the first to leave and go home on business to England. Anyone would hope he was carefully watched as anyone close to the situation should have been. If that is insulting, too bad! This little girl’s life is what matters; not the parent’s feelings.
June 29th, 2007 at 12:37 am
Good God, another variation of the name.
Sweet Sainted Jesus, with the keyboard monkeys running rampant with their many variations on the virgin vanishing, you’d think that they wouldn’t be quite so blatant with their insults to the intelligence of Anarok’s readers.
http://www.anorak.co.uk/twitterings/174655.html#comment-12842
Murkhiku Says:
June 28th, 2007 at 11:41 pm
Cher, you wrote:
Haruki Says:
June 28th, 2007 at 10:49 pm
“Police say lof ot things Hal, don’t mean is true.”
Murihiku Says:
June 24th, 2007 at 11:54 pm
Dear Hal,
June 29th, 2007 at 12:05 am
Times online…
A convicted child abuser and his girlfriend were being questioned by police in Southern Spain this evening over the kidnapping of Madeleine McCann
Danilo Chemello, 61, and Aurora Pereira Vaz were arrested in a dawn raid on a villa in the exclusive Sotogrande resort in Algeciras. Reports said part of the villa’s garage had been converted into a child’s bedroom.
Mr Chemello has been on the run from the French authorities. The Italian national was previously jailed for 18 months for child abuse. His Portuguese girlfriend is reportedly being investigated over allegations that she is involved in illegal adoptions in Europe.
A police source said that the Mr Chemello had been under surveillance after claiming on June 8 that he knew what had happened to Madeleine following her abduction 57 days ago. He wanted to negotiate with her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, to claim the £2.5 million reward on offer for their daughter’s safe return.
Although the arrests are the most significant breakthrough in the hunt for Madeleine since her abduction, Portuguese police said they had yet to establish a “direct link” with her disappearance from an Algarve resort.
A Spanish police spokesman said: “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.
“As the investigation progressed the agents found that that the male had a international arrest warrant issued by France for the crime of illicit association. In addition this person had completed an 18-month prison sentence in France for child abuse.”
Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa, of the Portuguese Polícia Judiciária, confirmed that it had been involved in the operation.
“We thought they might be involved in the Madeleine case,” he said. “It is a possibility, but we have found no concrete evidence yet.”
A spokeswoman for Madeleine’s parents said that they had not been made aware of the arrest. The couple, from Rothley, Leicestershire, are still in Praia da Luz.
Brian Kennedy, Madeleine’s great uncle, said: “We are trying not to get our hopes up too much because they so frequently get dashed.” He said the family welcomed the arrest because it meant that people were still keeping a look-out for her and that they had not forgotten about her plight. “It means they have not forgotten Madeleine and that is very pleasing, even if the reports come to nothing,” he said
The arrests come a day after a Spanish journalist told Portuguese police that he had evidence that Madeleine was abducted by a convicted sex attacker known as “the Frenchman”. Antonio Toscano claimed that Madeleine was still alive and had been abducted so she could be sold to an international paedophile ring. “The Frenchman”, who was living in Spain, was allegedly heard saying he was travelling to the Algarve shortly before Madeleine was taken.
Madeleine vanished from her bed, where she was sleeping between 2-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, while her parents dined at a nearby restaurant on the Ocean Club resort on May 3.
The only official police suspect in the case, Robert Murat, an English father who lives with his mother 160 yards from where Madeleine was snatched, has always insisted he is innocent.
Police in Portugal have always believed that Madeleine might have been taken by an international paedophile ring and taken out of the country within hours of her abduction.
Mr and Mrs McCann made a series of visits across Europe last month to seek assurances that police forces were hunting for their daughter and to raise public awareness of her disappearance. The first visit was to Rome to see the Pope and the second to Madrid.
The port of Algeciras is just a six-hour drive from Praia da Luz. Border police were not been informed of Madeleine’s abduction for more than ten hours.A fast ferry service from Algeciras reaches Morocco in less than an hour. Mr McCann, 39 and his wife, 38, both doctors, visited Morocco last month to promote the search for their daughter.
Residents in the exclusive Sotogrande residential estate said that they were shocked by the arrests. The Duchess of York is a regular visitor, presenting the winner’s trophy last August in the Sotogrande Lexus Polo Tournament, and it is popular with wealthy Gibraltarians, many of whom commute daily.
June 29th, 2007 at 12:00 am
Just seen this item:
Spanish police have said they had arrested an Italian man and Portuguese woman who allegedly tried to extort money from the parents of Madeleine McCann, offering them information about their missing four-year-old daughter.
Police said in a statement the two in custody were suspected of trying to swindle the McCanns, who have launched a Europe-wide search for their daughter after she disappeared two months ago during a family holiday in Portugal.
The investigation was still continuing, however, and the two suspects were being held in Spanish custody, the statement said.
“Police began to investigate them after getting information that they had tried to contact Madeleine’s parents to collect a reward,” the statement said.
Spanish authorities told Italian diplomats in Spain the man had no connection with Madeleine’s disappearance.
The Italian man was arrested on an international warrant issued from France, where he was wanted for alleged association with a crime group, the police statement said.
He had served an 18-month sentence in France for child mistreatment, specifically his daughter, it said. A Spanish police spokeswoman said the warrant itself had nothing to do with the McCann case.
The Portuguese woman was detained due to her association with the Italian man, and there was no warrant for her arrest, the spokeswoman said.
Both the man and woman were arrested on Thursday morning in Sotogrande, a town in the southern Spanish province of Cadiz. Two Portuguese detectives took part in the arrests, police in Lisbon said. “We thought they might be involved in the Madeleine case. It is a possibility, but we have found no concrete evidence yet,” Portuguese police inspector Olegario Sousa said. He declined to provide further details.
Members of the McCann family in Britain said they were withholding comment until more information was known. “We have no comment to make, because we know no more than we have seen on the news,” said John McCann, brother of Madeleine’s father, Gerry.
June 28th, 2007 at 11:38 pm
Looks the the arrested two were involved on another attack on the Clan McCann millions.
Some poor kiddies–some may have had their cell phone accounts drained dry by the hijackers in the last attempt.
Look at the assertion that millions have poured into the campaign from corporations . That sort of puts to rest the accuracy of the total-take-counter, unless corporate earnings don’t count?
Great fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite ’em,
And little fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum .
from ioltechnology.co.za
Internet scam artists try to cash in on missing Madeleine
21 May 2007 at 09h25
London - Scam artists have set up websites similar to the official site for missing 4-year-old British girl Madeleine McCann in an attempt to steal credit-card numbers and personal details from donors, British media reported Saturday.
The official website for McCann, who disappeared while on holiday in southern Portugal, had received more than 70 million hits in three days, the Daily Mail reported.
But gangsters had set up a series of similar bogus sites looking for donations, and some even had advertisements from well-known British brands, the report said.
Madeleine’s family was outraged: “It is a shame that people behave like this and they exploit the generosity of the general population ,” uncle John McCann told the Daily Mail.
“I am loth to use the phrase parasites, but unfortunately that is what it seems like,” he said.
Donors may have unwittingly given money to the bogus websites simply by arriving on one and clicking on an advertising banner, as site operators receive a small fee each time an internet user clicks on a banner.
Multinational companies, including British Petroleum, Shell, Esso, Texaco and Total have launched a massive poster and text messaging campaign as millions have been poured into a fund to help the search.
Telecoms companies including Vodafone, O2 and Spain’s Telefonica are among those backing the phone text campaign.
June 28th, 2007 at 11:19 pm
kansascity.com/449/story/168877.html
2 arrested in missing British girl case
By MAR ROMAN
Associated Press Writer
Spanish police said Thursday they have arrested an Italian man and a Portuguese woman suspected of trying to extort money from the parents of 4-year-old British girl who vanished nearly two months ago during a vacation in Portugal.
Police said the pair was suspected of trying to contact the parents of Madeleine McCann to collect a reward for providing information about her whereabouts. They said it was likely a swindling case.
Spanish authorities told Italian diplomats the man had no connection with the girl’s disappearance, said Italian Foreign Ministry officials who spoke on condition of anonymity according to ministry rules.
Police said the man was arrested on an international warrant issued in France, where he was wanted for alleged association with a crime group. He had served an 18-month sentence in France for mistreating his daughter, a police statement said.
A police spokeswoman said the warrant had nothing to do with McCann case but would not elaborate.
The woman was detained due to her association with the man, and there was no warrant for her arrest, the spokeswoman said on condition of anonymity in line with police rules. Both were detained in the town of Sotogrande in the southern province of Cadiz, she said. She did not identify either suspect.
Two Portuguese detectives took part in the arrests, police in Lisbon said.
“We thought they might be involved in the Madeleine case. It is a possibility, but we have found no concrete evidence yet,” Portuguese police inspector Olegario Sousa told The Associated Press by telephone.
Italian news agency Apcom, citing the Italian Embassy in Madrid, said the man and woman were married.
Members of the McCann family in Britain said they were withholding comment until more information was known.
“We have no comment to make, because we know no more than we have seen on the news,” said John McCann, brother of Madeleine’s father, Gerry.
Madeleine’s great uncle, Brian Kennedy, said he did not know any details about the man’s detention. “We are trying not to get our hopes up too much because they so frequently get dashed,” he told Sky News.
Madeleine disappeared on May 3 after her parents left her and her brother and sister, 2-year-old twins, alone in their room while they went to a restaurant inside their hotel complex in Praia da Luz, a tiny resort town in Portugal’s Algarve region.
Police have identified just one suspect in the case, but made no arrests before Thursday.
Portuguese police said a month ago that they were searching for a white man between 35 and 40 years old in connection with the girl’s disappearance. They said the suspect had been wearing a dark jacket and beige trousers on the day the girl disappeared, and was spotted possibly carrying the girl near to where she had vanished.
Police have received countless tips in the last two months, and the girl’s parents have launched an international campaign to find her, enlisting the aid of celebrities such as soccer star David Beckham and J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books.
Associated Press Writer Frances D’Emilio contributed to this report from Rome.
June 28th, 2007 at 11:12 pm
The keyboard monkeys must be running out of log-in names. Doesn’t look like the Haruki/Murihiku monkey will be winning the Employee of the Week coffee mug this Friday.
Haruki Says:
June 28th, 2007 at 10:49 pm
“Police say lof ot things Hal, don’t mean is true.”
Murihiku Says:
June 24th, 2007 at 11:54 pm
Dear Hal,
June 28th, 2007 at 11:04 pm
Haruki Says:
June 28th, 2007 at 10:49 pm
Police say lof ot things Hal, don’t mean is true.
Who authenticated the MissingmadeleineInc. playbook, Haruki?
Just because MMI tells you to say it, that doesn’t make it ring true, right?
Haruki Says:
June 28th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
Some of you guys really ought to get a life.
All of this dark suspicion is, quite frankly, crazy. Seriously. A few people have got themselves carried away. Maybe watched a few too many episodes of CSI.
The fund is simply a foundation for people to donate into, to assist the family in finding their daughter. They are not living in the lap of luxury. All they have got is a little bit more sunshine than they had before and one less child. You can’t seriously believe they are relishing their new position? They already had a very nice house in the UK and with porfessional careers they had good incomes. You’ve all been egging each other on and gone a bit daft. Grow up guys, take a step back and have a look at the bigger picture and accusing Gerry McCann of abuse? Now that’s low. Really low! Shame on you. What in the world makes you think he abuses his kids? You are one sick man!
June 28th, 2007 at 10:51 pm
So far its low key news on the Beeb, after the new cabinet and more soldiers killed in Iraq and the floods.
Perhaps the Spanish Police may be more forthcoming than the Portuguese can be?
June 28th, 2007 at 10:49 pm
Police say lof ot things Hal, don’t mean is true.
June 28th, 2007 at 10:04 pm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/kent/6249356.stm
Thursday, 28 June 2007, 20:34 GMT 21:34 UK
… “They are being questioned over allegations that they tried to defraud the McCanns by claiming a reward for information about their daughter.
There is no direct link with Madeleine’s kidnap, say police” …
June 28th, 2007 at 9:49 pm
Is a bit crazy that people would try to claim the reward money from the McCanns?
I am sure that any reward would only be given when Madeleine is handed back to her parents? It doesn’t make sense, these Italian and Portuguese people trying claim the reward. How can these people try to get money out of the family without actually leading them to the child.
I believe there is more to these Italian people than the Olegario Sousa is saying. Is also a big coincidence that they are arrest on same day as Mr Toscano comes to Portugal from Spain.
June 28th, 2007 at 8:49 pm
First time i.ve seen this website. AND THE LAST. Who do you people think you are.
Sick, Sad and in need of hard working tax payers money??!!!!!!!!!!!!
No lets save our money.
June 28th, 2007 at 8:07 pm
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/28/missing.mccann/index.html
…” After their arrests, police began checking further and suspect they may have “made a call trying to collect the reward,” for the return of Madeleine, the police official said.
The government official said, “It could be a person that was trying to collect the reward.”
Both officials insisted on anonymity and cautioned that no firm links have yet been established with the case of Madeleine”…
June 28th, 2007 at 7:55 pm
Lets just hope that this latest news leads to a positive result
If a major Peodophile ring is at work here - There may be good news for more than just Madeleines parents
Fingers crossed that more missing children are found due to this breakthrough .
June 28th, 2007 at 7:51 pm
Why are the keyboard chimps dead silent, hal? I would’ve thought they’d be the first to say “told you so” now that the an Italian man has been arrested under suspicion of kidnapping Madeleine. I came here to see the chimps, I even brought them peanuts and bananas… please don’t scare them away Uncle hal
June 28th, 2007 at 7:13 pm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6251266.stm
an italian arrested?
June 28th, 2007 at 7:08 pm
Dead silence from the keyboard chimps.
Have they looked into their futures and seem unemployment looming?
June 28th, 2007 at 7:01 pm
Thks
.news.com.au
Couple arrested over Madeleine McCann abduction
From correspondents in Madrid
June 29, 2007 03:13am
Article from: ReutersFont size: + -
AN Italian has been arrested in Spain over the kidnapping of British four-year-old Madeleine McCann, who vanished from her resort bedroom in Portugal last month, Spain’s El Pais newspaper has said on its website.
The website said the man was arrested in Algeciras, which is on the southern coast of Spain a few hours drive from the resort in Portugal where Madeleine disappeared on May 3.
She vanished from her bed while her parents dined at a nearby restaurant in the small Praia da Luz Algarve resort.
Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, have launched a high-profile campaign to draw attention to her disappearance, including meeting with the Pope in Rome and winning support from personalities such as British soccer star David Beckham.
National police in Madrid were not immediately available to comment.
telegraph.co.uk
Madeleine police ‘arrest two people in Spain’
By Fiona Govan and Matthew Moore
Last Updated: 6:57pm BST 28/06/2007
An Italian man and a Portuguese woman have been arrested by police investigating the abduction of four-year-old Madeleine McCann, according to reports.
The pair were held by Spanish police in the port city of Algeciras near Gibraltar early yesterday morning, it is claimed.
It is not yet clear what evidence led to their arrest, but Telegraph.co.uk understands they are suspected of trying to extort money out of Gerry and Kate McCann for information about their missing daughter.
It is not known if they are suspected of kidnapping Madeleine.
Conflicting reports running on Spanish TV suggest that two Italians, both men, had been arrested.
The operation is reported to have begun at 5am and involved officers from the specialised crime and violence unit.
The Portugese detective leading the Madeleine investigation said he was “aware” of the reports and was trying to get more information.
It is 56 days since Madeleine was snatched from her bed as she slept in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz.
June 28th, 2007 at 6:57 pm
Italian man and Portuguese woman arrested in Algeciras, Spain