Paris (CNN) The Chinese president of Interpol, the international police agency, has vanished.

Meng Hongwei was not on French soil when he was last seen, according a senior French law enforcement official, who declined to say whether he was in China.

Meng's wife went to police in Lyon, where Interpol is based, Thursday night to report his disappearance, according to a statement released by the French Interior Ministry on Friday. The spouse told police that she had last heard from him 10 days ago and had recently received threats via social networks and by telephone, according to the statement.

"France is looking into the situation of the President of Interpol and is concerned about the threats his wife has received," the statement said.

It adds that a "suitable police mechanism" was put in place to guarantee her safety, and that the prosecutor's office in Lyon has opened an investigation.

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