PARIS, Oct. 6, 2018 (News Wires) - French police are investigating the disappearance of Interpol chief, Meng Hongwei, who was reported missing after traveling from France to his native China, while his wife has been placed under police protection after receiving threats. China's Ministry of Public Security did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment and there was no mention of him in official media on Saturday. Meng's wife contacted police in Lyon, the French city where the international police agency is based, after not hearing from him since Sept. 25, and after receiving threats by phone and on social media, France's interior ministry said. "France is puzzled about the situation of Interpol's president and concerned about the threats made to his wife," the ministry said, adding that it was in contact with China. Meng's wife, who has remained in Lyon with their children according to police sources, was receiving protection, it said. It was not clear why Meng, 64, who was named Interpol's president two years ago, had traveled to China, which has not commented officially on his disappearance. Hong Kong's South China Morning Post quoted an unnamed source as saying Meng had been taken for questioning as soon as he landed in China, but it was not clear why. French police are investigating what is officially termed in France a "worrying disappearance". Interpol, which groups 192 countries and which is usually focused on finding people who are missing or wanted, said in a statement from its secretary general, Juergen Stock, that it had asked China for clarification. "Interpol has requested through official law enforcement channels clarification from China's authorities on the status of Interpol President Meng Hongwei," Stock, who is in charge Interpol's day-to-day running, said on Saturday.
