Polish Woman Claiming to Be Madeleine McCann Arrested Upon Arrival in Bristol

A woman alleging to be the missing British child has been detained alongside a friend at Bristol Airport.

A Polish woman who claimed to be Madeleine McCann was arrested shortly after her arrival at Bristol Airport from Wroclaw, Poland, on the evening of Wednesday, October 25, 2023. The woman, identified as 23-year-old Julia Wandelt, was reportedly preparing to meet a friend, a 60-year-old woman from Cardiff, when law enforcement officers surrounded her as passengers disembarked the flight at approximately 8 PM.

Both women have been taken into custody on suspicion of stalking, with allegations of causing serious alarm and distress.

Their detention follows claims made by Wandelt, who has garnered attention on social media since February 2023, primarily through her Instagram account under the handle @IAmMadeleineMcCann.

Despite previously publicized DNA results indicating she is 100 percent Polish and hence not Madeleine McCann, Wandelt has offered new DNA findings asserting a familial connection to the McCann family.

Statements from Wandelt's representative, Surjit Singh Clair, indicated that the arrest was unexpected, further stating that Wandelt was suspected of stalking the McCann family.

She had claimed to have tried to contact Gerry McCann by phone, only for the call to be terminated shortly after connecting, with Mr. McCann allegedly stating she had the wrong number.

Madeleine McCann, the British child who went missing at the age of three while on holiday with her family in Praia de Luz, Portugal, on May 3, 2007, remains the subject of extensive investigations.

Current inquiries also focus on German national Christian Brueckner, a convicted sex offender implicated in the case, who is serving time for a separate sexual assault in the Algarve region, where McCann disappeared.

Investigations regarding Brueckner's involvement continue as part of broader efforts to resolve the long-standing mystery surrounding McCann's disappearance.