Portuguese police end Madeleine suspect home search

LISBON, Aug 5 (Reuters) Portuguese police ended a two-day search of the house of the only official suspect in the case of missing British 4-year-old Madeleine McCann, a police spokesman said today.

Madeleine went missing from the Praia da Luz resort in the Algarve tourist region on May 3, just yards from the home of the suspect, Briton Robert Murat, 33. His property was initially searched after Madeleine went missing.

''Searches have ended,'' a Portuguese police spokesman said.

He declined to comment on whether police were closer to finding Madeleine, who disappeared from her bed in the holiday resort while her parents dined nearby.

Police did not arrest Murat who remained in the house with his lawyer while Portuguese officers and British detectives used hedge cutters to clear vegetation around his house.

Another police spokesman said in the early hours today that the searches were meant to track down all the available clues in the complex search for Madeleine.

''It has been a long time since Madeleine went missing but we are still doing all we can to find her,'' he said. ''We are all tired by now and hope the searches come to a conclusion soon.'' Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann have campaigned relentlessly to draw attention to her disappearance. British business tycoons and celebrities ranging from Harry Potter author JK Rowling to soccer stars have contributed to a reward for her return.

There have been a number of possible sightings of Madeleine -- from Morocco to Argentina -- since she went missing but police have come up with no concrete results.

On Friday Belgian authorities said they were conducting DNA tests on a bottle and a straw after another possible sighting of the missing girl.

REUTERS RS VC2328