Russian abduction suspect in Portugal claims innocence

18 May, 2007 05:07 / Updated 17 years ago

A 22-year-old Russian man being held by police in connection with the suspected abduction of a four-year-old British girl, Madeleine McCann, in Portugal has been released.

Madeleine McCann went missing from her holiday apartment on May 3, while her parents were having dinner in a nearby restaurant.On Wednesday detectives searched Russian Sergey Malinka's home in the Algarve, where he has been living for four years.The computer specialist, Sergey Malinka, has had dealings with the only formal suspect in the case – British citizen Robert Murat, for whom he had created a website.Mr Malinka said that he only had business relations with Murat who, police say, has not been charged due to lack of evidence.Mr Malinka says his reputation is being seriously damaged by the media.