Madeleine police fly into UK

Portuguese police have arrived in the UK as part of the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

The detectives will listen in as British officers interview the friends of the four-year-old's parents, known as the "Tapas Seven".

The group was in Praia da Luz on May 3 last year when Madeleine went missing from a bedroom in the family's holiday apartment.

Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann, from Rothley, Leicestershire, will not be questioned. Their spokesman Clarence Mitchell said the couple welcomed the interviews and were happy to be reinterviewed, but a request had not been made by Portuguese detectives.

A spokeswoman for Leicestershire Police said: "Leicestershire Constabulary will be co-ordinating the execution of the request for mutual legal assistance made by the Portuguese authorities.

"The Portuguese authorities have asked that the contents of the request and the way it is being executed be kept confidential so as not to prejudice their ongoing investigation."

The process of interviewing key witnesses will last several weeks, but the Portuguese detectives are believed to be returning home at the end of the week.

It is 11 months since Madeleine disappeared from the holiday resort of Praia da Luz.

Mr and Mrs McCann remain arguidos - formal suspects - and under Portuguese law, the status allows them to make a list of people they would like detectives to question in order to support their case that they had nothing to do with the disappearance of their daughter.

The Tapas Seven are on the list, which currently stands at more than 50. But it is understood their inclusion is not the reason they are being interviewed this week.

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