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Praia Da Luz, Portugal: Police are investigating new links between the prime suspect in the hunt for Madeleine McCann and a Russian computer expert.
Robert Murat phoned Sergey Malinka on his mobile at 11.40pm on the night the four-year-old disappeared - despite both men claiming they hardly know each other.
In an interview with the Evening Standard on Wednesday, Malinka denied any contact with Murat, saying: "I have not spoken to him for around a year."
Portuguese police sources said it was "bizarre" for the men to speak late at night, then claim not to be close. One source said: "Why have both men been saying they hardly know each other when they clearly were on good enough terms to speak by mobile phone just before midnight? It strikes us as bizarre."
The men were also captured on television cameras talking animatedly in the days after the four-year-old's disappearance.
Police sources confirmed they are "highly concerned" by the men's claims and revealed they have found new evidence to link the pair at the time of Madeleine's abduction from the Praia da Luz resort on May 3.
The revelation came as support for the search for Madeleine reached new levels, with 55 million hits on the website campaigning for her return.
The McCann family were said to be "overwhelmed" as their daughter was featured on the front of People, America's biggest news magazine, and posters of her are appearing around Europe.
urat, 33, has been named as the prime suspect. Malinka, 23, is being treated as a witness - although police said last night: "He has been interviewed as a witness, but it may be during the course of the investigation things could change."
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