Police say kidnapper identity is speculation

LISBON, May 7 (Reuters) Portuguese police dismissed today a newspaper report that said the main suspect in the kidnapping of three-year-old Madeleine McCann in a beach resort last week could be British.

''That is pure speculation,'' a top police official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters. ''There are some people who say they saw a man giving out candy to children near the marina but there are many other accounts we are looking into as well.'' Local daily Correio da Manha reported today police had produced a picture of the suspect, a medium-sized individual with a strong build, who is thought to be British.

''We are following all leads,'' the source said, when asked whether he thought the investigation would lead to the capture of Madeleine's kidnapper. ''The investigation is ongoing but that is all I can say at this time.'' Hundreds of locals and tourists have joined the search for the blonde-haired girl who vanished from her bed about 50 metres from where her parents were dining late on Thursday at the Praia da Luz resort village in the Algarve.

Her parents immediately insisted it was an abduction because there was evidence of a forced entry in the bedroom where she was sleeping.

Another paper, daily Diario de Noticias, said today that the search for Madeleine had been extended to a radius of 10 kilometres around the Praia da Luz village and that the maritime police were looking for a ''small bag'' or ''clothes'' at sea.

The police official declined to comment on the Diario de Noticias report.

Reuters SYV VV1742