An Italian man and his Portuguese partner have been arrested in connection with investigations into the kidnapping of four-year-old British girl Madeleine McCann, it emerged on Thursday.
The man, 61, identified as Danilo Chemello, was not thought to be suspected of the kidnapping.
He and his female companion, Aurora Pereira Vaz, were arrested early on Thursday after a search carried out by Spanish police with an Italian Interpol official, sources said.
The suspects, said to have been living together in Portugal for some years, were reportedly arrested on the strength of a French arrest warrant for a crime that had nothing to do with the case of Madeleine McCann.
But it was believed that the two detainees were also being investigated for a possible connection with the kidnapping because of evidence found during the search.
Italian police had supplied their Spanish colleagues with details of the couple during recent investigations into the McCann abduction.
One report said police had found a small bedroom set up in the garage of the couple's home.
INVOLVEMENT IN KIDNAPPING 'UNLIKELY'.
Spanish investigative sources said Chemello was wanted in France for mistreating members of his own family.
Those sources said it was "unlikely" that he was concretely involved in the kidnapping of Madeleine.
Sources at Interpol confirmed the arrest of an Italian citizen in Spain but also denied that he was suspected of being responsible for the kidnapping.
The Spanish interior ministry said police had information which could link the suspect to the McCann case but "nothing concrete so far".
It was unclear on Thursday evening where Chenello and Pereira Vaz were arrested. Spanish police told ANSA that an Italian was arrested in a town near the southern Spanish port of Cadiz but El Pais, also citing police sources, said he was picked up near another southern city, Algeciras.
'NO CONNECTION', MINISTRY SAYS.
The Italian foreign ministry referred to an Italian arrested in Algeciras in a note which said there appeared to be no connection between the detainee and the McCann case.
The kidnapping of Madeleine has dominated the British news ever since the girl disappeared in the resort of Praia da Luz in southern Portugal on May 3.
She was snatched from the family's holiday apartment in the evening while her parents ate at a nearby restaurant.
Since then the girl's parents have toured Europe asking the public in various countries to support police investigations in any way possible, including by sending British police holiday snaps from vacations in southern Portugal.
Pope Benedict met Gerry and Kate McCann at the Vatican on May 30 and blessed their daughter's photo.
