Madeleine may have been seen in Bosnia

Nov 12 2007 by David Bartlett, Liverpool Daily Post

MISSING Madeleine McCann may have been sighted in Bosnia it has emerged, in the latest twist since the four-year-old disappeared more than six months ago.

A Northern Irish tourist said he saw a frightened child crying for her dad at a pilgrimage site before she was bundled away.

The claim came as police in Portugal said they believe the missing daughter of Gerry and Liverpool-born Kate McCann, both 39, was dead and had been buried.

The tourist, who lives in Ulster, said he saw a dark-haired couple struggling with a little blonde girl at the shrine near Mostar 10 days ago.

He heard the terrified child say in English: “I want my daddy.”

But when he tried to go to her aid, the youngster was lifted up on to the woman’s back and thrown into a car.

The worried tourist – who does not want to be named – immediately reported the sighting to local police.

Clarence Mitchell, the McCanns’ family spokesman, said last night: “He was 99.9% sure this girl did not belong to this couple.

“She was in distress and he went over because he wasn’t happy with the way they were treating her. Then he heard the little girl say, ‘I want my daddy’.

“This chilled him to the bone – but he had the presence of mind to get down the number plate.

“He told the local police but there was a problem with translation and nothing really happened.

“So when he got home to Northern Ireland, he told the police there and rang our helpline.”

Mr Mitchell also confirmed that a Spanish private detective agency searching the world for Madeleine was currently focusing on the Middle East.

The revelation means fresh anguish for Maddie’s parents Gerry and Kate – both official suspects in the hunt for their daughter.

The couple have always insisted the youngster was snatched from the flat in Praia da Luz on May 3 and is still alive.

davidbartlett@dailypost.co.uk