Interpol President Possibly Detained in China; No Word from Chinese Authorities

Following a report by radio channel Europe 1 of France that the President of Interpol Meng Hongwei had been reported as missing by his wife after traveling to China on family business, there are now reports that he has been detained in China and was taken in for questioning soon after his arrival in Hong Kong. The Ministry of Public Security in China, headed by Meng Hongwei prior to his being appointed to the top spot at Interpol, has offered no denial or confirmation about this information.

It is now being learned that Hongwei’s wife had received threats via phone and after not hearing from her husband since he traveled to China on September 29, she informed the police in Lyons, where they live. At the moment, the Lyon police are providing security to his wife and children. What France has officially dubbed a “worrying disappearance” that began with Hongwei traveling back to China to meet with members of his family, may have been a more complicated matter than was first revealed.

News of Hongwei’s detention was published in the South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong newspaper, the source is anonymous. There has been no news of his detention anywhere else in the country. On top of this, it is believed that serving as President of Interpol, Hongwei had somehow rubbed Chinese authorities the wrong way, resulting in their arrest of him to settle a personal score. However, this is purely speculation in the face of a vacuum of evidence that has yet to be filled in with substantiated information.