Germany: garden search continues in McCann investigation

German police investigating disappearance of British girl Meleine McCann in Portugal in 2007 were searching a garden plot on outskirts of Hanver in rrn Germany for a third day in a row Wednesday.

Police were using excavators, sniffer dogs, shovels and rakes to investigate plot.

Prosecutors did t say what exactly investigators were looking for. A spokeswoman for Braunschweig prosecutor's office only said Tuesday that investigation on site was connected to ir investigation regarding Meleine. prosecutor's office could t immediately be reached for new information Wednesday.

Meleine was 3 at time of her 2007 disappearance from an apartment while her family vacationed in seaside town of Praia da Luz in Portugal’s Algarve region.

German authorities said last month y h identified a 43-year-old German citizen as a suspect in case and are investigating him on suspicion of murder.

suspect, who is currently in prison in Germany, spent many years in Portugal, including in Praia da Luz around time of Meleine's disappearance, and has two previous convictions for “sexual contact with girls,” authorities have said.

Authorities have t released suspect’s name, but he has been widely identified by German media as Christian B.

He was last registered living in Germany in city of Braunschweig, which is about 70 kilometers (40 miles) from Hanver. Between 2013 and 2015, suspect spent time in both Portugal and Germany. He ran a kiosk in Braunschweig and also lived in Hanver for several years, dpa reported.