Two arrested over Madeleine case

Madeleine has been missing since 3 May

An Italian man and a Portuguese woman are being interviewed by police investigating the disappearance of four-year-old Madeleine McCann.

Spanish police said the pair were arrested near Algeciras in the south of the country.

They are being questioned over allegations that they tried to defraud the McCanns by claiming a reward for information about their daughter.

There is no direct link with Madeleine's kidnap, say police.

The man's arrest arose from an international search warrant while the arrest of the woman, who is believed to be the man's partner, was by association, a Spanish police spokeswoman said.

The pair were arrested in the early hours of the morning in the town of Sotogrande, near Algeciras. Reportedly, the arrests followed a surveillance operation in the far south of Spain.

'Hopes dashed'

A spokeswoman for the McCanns said the family were not commenting directly on the potential development.

"They will be looking to the Portuguese police to advise them on any developments.

"They treat everything fairly and they look to the Portuguese as to what is given more weight and what is given less weight," said the spokeswoman.

Madeleine's great uncle, Brian Kennedy, had not heard about the potential development in the investigation until he was contacted by the media.

He said the family was trying not to get its hopes up too much because they had so frequently been dashed.

The McCanns went to Spain last month to ask for assistance to help find Madeleine.

They think it is one of the places she might have been taken because of its proximity to Portugal.

Border controls were not put on alert for the first 12 hours of Madeleine's disappearance.

Madeleine was taken from her apartment as she slept in the Algarve village of Praia da Luz on 3 May.