Madeleine McCann (Family Photo)

The U.K.’s Sunday Express reports it has intervened in the search for missing Madeleine McCann, prompting officials to request satellite images from “US spy chiefs.”

According to the Sunday edition report, the Leicestershire Police have never requested satellite views of Praia da Luz, Portugal, where the little girl disappeared over two years ago.

A source with the Portuguese police told the Express that “We know U.S. spy satellites regularly sweep over Portugal looking at military installations and government facilities.”

The source continued, “So we thought they might actually have image of Praia da Luz on the day of the kidnapping and the preceding days.”

“We hoped spy images may have captured the kidnapper watching the apartment prior to the event or even on the day itself. Obviously, having a picture would have speeded up the apprehension of the offender,” said the source.

According to the Express, the Portuguese source said Leicestershire Police and British officials have been told about the situation and the Portuguese police are “…confident of getting progress because of Gordon Brown’s interest in the case and this apparent special relationship between Britain and the United States.”

The report indicates that Brown may speak directly to President Barack Obama about the issue to achieve cooperation in obtaining the satellite images.

The Express reports it filed a Freedom of Information request upon the U.S. Government’s National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Nonetheless, through a spokesperson, the agency told the Express “NGA does not provide imagery to private citizens or private companies. For reasons of national security we do not discuss specifics about what images we have or our capabilities.”

Madeleine, who would now be six-years-old, disappeared in May 2007, during a family vacation in Portugal.

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