Christian Brueckner's former friends have spoken out against the German national as part of the latest developments into the case of missing Madeleine McCann.
McCann was just three-years-old when she disappeared from her holiday apartment in Praia Da Luz on the Algrave, Portugal in 2007.
Since 2022, German prosecutors have made 46-year-old Brueckner a prime suspect in the McCann case.
Brueckner is currently serving a seven-year prison term in Germany for trafficking and rape crimes, and has always denied any involvement in Maddie's disappearance.
A german local revealed he was once threatened by Brueckner with a knife
BBC
In a new investigation for Panorama by the BBC, former acquaintances of Brueckner have revealed more about his character.
Speaking to an investigative journalist, bar manager Brigitte Szegedi said she saw him "almost every day".
Szegedi added: "When he was here, he was nice. If you had a beer with him here, you would have said 'Christian, best friend'.
"He has two sides. He had fits of rage with some people. Not with women, but with men. I saw it after he drank a bit too much, but only with men, not with women."
A German local who owned a flat after Brueckner was evicted recalled being confronted by him and a "gang".
He revealed: "He came with a gang demanding his freezer back. He was brandishing a knife in the corridor. He had this long knife and wanted to stab me. He was drunk or on drugs.
"His eyes glistened like mad and he was filled with rage."
When asked by the journalist if he was afraid of Brueckner, he nodded in agreement.
Christian Brueckner has been a prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case since 2022
Getty
Christine Bruckner was also known to have a teenage girlfriend, when he was in his late 30s.
The German local detailed an interaction with his girlfriend, who admitted she had been assaulted by him.
He said: "I met her at the bus stop and asked her where she had those strangulation marks from, and she told me he strangled her and beat her."
When asked if she was "frightened", the man said: "She was scared stiff of him. She told me a lot of things. She was really scared of him. Look, I'm getting goosebumps."
