Convicted paedophile and rapist Christian Brückner could be released from prison next year after he was acquitted of separate rape charges by a controversial German judge.
The focus of the search suggests officers had used ground radar and metal detectors to target specific locations,with holes dug around recent pits.
Police were seen erecting tents and cordons in an area about 50 kilometres from Praia da Luz,where the 3-year-old was last seen alive.
It is the first time Portuguese prosecutors have identified an official suspect since Kate and Gerry McCann were named in 2007. They were later cleared.
German police named convicted paedophile and rapist Christian Brueckner as the prime suspect in the case in 2020,but no charges have been laid.
German paedophile and suspect Christian Brueckner often carried out repairs at the complex in Portugal where the McCann family stayed,a witness claims.
This news has elevated us all:Cleo Smith has been reunited with her family after 18 days of agony.
The German authorities say they have the evidence to charge convicted sex offender Christian Brueckner.
Christian Brueckner suffered two broken ribs in an incident that occurred at a German courthouse,authorities said.
The lawyer for the prime suspect in the abduction of the British child says his client will never co-operate with the law.
The prime suspect in the abduction mystery is a criminal with convictions going back nearly 25 years.