Four suspects were questioned this week in connection to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, the British toddler who went missing while vacationing with her family in Portugal in 2007.
Sergey Malinka, a Russian-born computer expert who was initially questioned as a witness in 2007, is one of the people British authorities
interrogated Monday in Portugal, BBC News reported. The network said that Portuguese police are handling the interviews in the presence of Scotland Yard detectives.
Malinka is reportedly friends with Robert Murat, a British man who was originally a suspect but later cleared by Portuguese authorities in the case.
Murat told The Guardian that he has had "limited dealings" with Malinka since 2007 and said his friend being considered a potential suspect is "disgusting and ridiculous."
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"Back in 2007, police questioning of Sergey was very thorough and meticulous and I can't see any reason why he has been brought in again," Murat said. "My heart goes out to him and his family because I know exactly what they will be going through right now."
The BBC reported that four "persons of interest" total, including Malinka, were questioned this week. One of those people, who reportedly suffers from severe schizophrenia, remained in the police headquarters Tuesday.
Last month, roughly 20 investigators searched two areas on the outskirts of the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz for clues in the case.
Portuguese police granted British authorization to search the resort complex where the then-3-year-old girl disappeared from her bedroom in May 2007 while her parents were out to dinner with friends.
The girl's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, have been trying to keep the case in the spotlight ever since.
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