The Latest: Interpol aware officer is reported held in China
PARIS (AP) — The Latest on the disappearance of the president of Interpol, Meng Hongwei (all times local):
6:00 p.m.
A Hong Kong newspaper has cited an anonymous source saying the president of Interpol was taken away for questioning by "discipline authorities," a term that usually describes investigators in the ruling Communist Party who probe graft and political disloyalty.
The South China Morning Post reported Friday that Meng Hongwei was placed under investigation in his native China as soon as he arrived in the country last week.
An Interpol spokesman says the international law enforcement agency is aware of the Post's story, but would not comment on it or say if Chinese authorities had detained the 64-year-old Meng.
Meng's wife says she has not heard from him since he left Lyon, France, where Interpol is headquartered, at the end of September.
The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the Communist Party's secretive internal investigation agency, had no announcements on its website about Meng and could not be reached for comment.
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2:55 p.m.
Interpol says it's aware of reports that President Meng Hongwei has been reported missing while making a trip to his native China.
The international law enforcement agency based in Lyon, France did not provide details about Meng's disappearance and said in a statement Friday: "This is a matter for the relevant authorities in both France and China."
Meng's wife reported Friday that she had not heard from him since the end of September, when he left Lyon. French authorities have launched an investigation.
The president of Interpol heads its executive committee. The police organization said in its statement "the day-to-day running of Interpol" is carried out by its secretary general, Jurgen Stock.
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1 p.m.
A French judicial official says the president of Interpol has been reported missing after traveling to his native China,
The official says Meng Hongwei's wife reported Friday that she had not heard from her 64-year-old husband since the end of September, when he left Lyon, France, where Interpol is based. The official said Meng did arrive in China.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details of an ongoing investigation.
There was no further word on Meng's schedule in China or what prompted his wife to wait until now to report his absence.
Meng was elected president of Interpol in November 2016. His term runs until 2020. He has held a variety of positions within China's security establishment, including as a vice minister of public security — the national police force — since 2004.
