A Polish woman who claims to be Madeleine McCann has been arrested at Bristol Airport on suspicion of stalking and harassing Kate and Gerry McCann.
Julia Wandelt, 23, was detained by police moments after landing from Wroclaw, Poland, where she had been due to meet a friend living in Cardiff.
The friend, believed to be in her 60s, was also arrested and taken away by officers. The arrests took place in front of stunned passengers at the airport, where authorities immediately surrounded Wandelt upon her arrival.
The arrest comes just days after Wandelt claimed new DNA test results showed a "perfect match" to samples from the hotel where Madeleine disappeared.
Julia Wendell, who claimed to be Madeleine McCann, was arrested
Instragram @iammadeleinemccann / PAShe alleged that analysis of "hair and saliva" from the crime scene in Praia da Luz showed a 69.23 per cent match with her DNA.
An unnamed "world expert" reportedly stated: "The genetic evidence strongly supports that (Gerry) McCann could be Julia Wandelt's biological father, as the data aligns perfectly with a parent-child relationship."
The McCanns have refused to participate in the DNA testing, according to Wandelt's social media posts. Wandelt first gained international attention in February 2023 when she created an Instagram account called "@IAmMadeleineMcCann."
She appeared on US talk show Dr Phil to discuss her claims, but later apologised and said she "regretted" making the allegations. Earlier this month, she returned to social media with a new account "@AmIJuliaWandelt", where she shared the new DNA results.
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PAIn her recent posts, she claimed the first part of the DNA results had proven her to be "part British and part Irish", rather than fully Polish. She also shared an audio clip of an attempted phone call to Gerry McCann, who reportedly hung up saying she had the wrong number.
Wandelt's representative, Surjit Singh Clair, confirmed the arrest, stating: "I'm trying to find out what's happened but it appears Julia has been arrested at Bristol Airport this evening just after she got off the plane."
He added: "The police have reportedly arrested her on an allegation of stalking and harassing the McCanns."
Earlier, Clair had criticised the McCanns' refusal to take DNA tests, saying: "They have spent £20million on this investigation and now won't spend £60 on a DNA test, even though she offered to pay for it."
Wandelt previously told the BBC she was sexually abused as a young child and began believing she was Madeleine after noticing similarities between sketches of suspects and her abuser. She claimed to have memory gaps due to the abuse and said her parents never showed her early childhood photos or her birth certificate.
Her family firmly rejected these claims in a statement, saying: "For us as a family it is obvious that Julia is our daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece, cousin and step-niece. We have memories, we have pictures."
They added that they had witnessed "her lies and manipulations" and had tried to prevent her activities.
