The prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case has been given "ring of steel" security ahead of his trial.
Christian Brueckner is standing trial on Friday accused of carrying out a string of vile sex attacks in Portugal.
It is the 47-year-old's first public court appearance in Germany since being named the prime suspect in the 2007 disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
Brueckner is accused to have carried out five offences in the Algarve between 2000 and 2017, including the alleged rape of an Irish tour rep, who was attacked in her apartment Praia da Rocha in 2004.
Madeleine McCann was last seen in 2007PANow, a series of tight security measures have been put in place around the courthouse at Braunschweig Regional Court, east Germany.
Armed police will be stationed inside and outside the court for each of the 29 hearings, as Lawyers, media and members of the public will have to show formal identification to police before entering the court.
Brueckner will enter courtroom 141, which hold 100 spectators, via a secure tunnel from a holding facility accompanied by his legal team.
He is expected to be moved from his high-security prison in northern Germany for the duration of the trial, having been flown across Europe for the hearings.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Brueckner is set to appear at the Regional Court of Braunschweig (Landgericht Braunschweig)
Google Maps
Court spokeswoman Lisa Rust said: 'These heightened security measures have now been compiled.
"The polizeianordnung is like an official directive issued by the law enforcement authorities - here the police. It governs certain actions or behaviour in accordance with the law and public safety."
A German source told MailOnline the trial was a "big deal for the authorities" with police set to guard the witnesses throughout the trial.
Brueckner was also charged with the offences in October 2022 but the case was delayed following a legal row over jurisdiction.
Christian Brueckner has been a prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case since 2022GettyBrueckner was named as a formal suspect by prosecutors in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Portugal in 2022.
He had previously been identified as a suspect by German prosecutors in 2020, at which point he was named as Christian B.
Brueckner is currently serving a sentence of seven years for a rape that took place in Portugal in 2005. During the trial, which is set to begin next week, there will be a ruling on whether Brueckner remains in prison at the end of that sentence.