This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-45761466
The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Interpol chief Meng Hongwei vanishes on trip to China | Interpol chief Meng Hongwei vanishes on trip to China |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| France has opened an investigation into the disappearance of Meng Hongwei, the Chinese head of the international police agency Interpol. | France has opened an investigation into the disappearance of Meng Hongwei, the Chinese head of the international police agency Interpol. |
| His family have not heard from him since he left Interpol HQ in the French city of Lyon for a trip back to China a week ago, police sources say. | His family have not heard from him since he left Interpol HQ in the French city of Lyon for a trip back to China a week ago, police sources say. |
| "He did not disappear in France," a source close to the French inquiry told AFP news agency. | "He did not disappear in France," a source close to the French inquiry told AFP news agency. |
| Mr Meng, 64, is a senior Communist Party official in China. | |
| The investigation was opened after Mr Meng's wife went to police to report her husband missing. | The investigation was opened after Mr Meng's wife went to police to report her husband missing. |
| Before taking over at Interpol, Meng Hongwei was deputy minister in charge of public security in China. | Before taking over at Interpol, Meng Hongwei was deputy minister in charge of public security in China. |
| At Interpol, he leads the Executive Committee, which provides guidance and direction to the 192-member organisation. Mr Meng's term is scheduled to run until 2020. | |
| In 2016, rights groups expressed concern that his election could help China pursue political dissidents who have fled the country. | |
| But Mr Meng said at the time that he was ready to do "everything he could towards the cause of policing in the world". | |
| Mr Meng has 40 years of experience in criminal justice and policing in China, notably in the fields of drugs, counter-terrorism and border control, according to Interpol. | |
| Interpol can issue a red notice - an international alert - for a wanted person. | |
| But it does not have the power to send officers into countries to arrest individuals, nor issue arrest warrants. |