Two men with large international profiles and powerful enemies vanished. Two repressive regimes were reportedly responsible.
What we know: Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and insider-turned-critic who wrote a Washington Post column from exile, vanished after entering a Saudi consulate in Istanbul last Tuesday. Two days later, Interpol President Meng Hongwei was reported missing while traveling in China. It later emerged that the government was holding him.
Meng Hongwei, president of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), has submitted his resignation.
Why it matters: Chinese authorities announced today that Meng had been detained and was under investigation for suspected violations of state law. He had not been seen since September 25 and was reported missing by his wife.
Chinese authorities are investigating Meng Hongwei, president of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), who had been reported missing, for suspected violations of state law, the South China Morning Post reports.
The details: Meng, who also serves at China’s vice minister of public security, was reported missing by his wife last week. She reportedly had not heard from him since September 25. The publication reports that Meng was immediately taken into custody upon his arrival in China.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Kim Jong-unmet Sunday in Pyongyang, North Korea, where they resumed denuclearization talks and discussed a second potential summit between President Trump and Kim.
What's next: Per State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert, Kim invited inspectors to the Punggye-ri nuclear test site to ensure that it had been "irreversibly dismantled." Talks had stalled between the two countries after Trump announced North Korea was not "making sufficient progress with respect to denuclearization," but Sunday's visit suggests they may be ready to move forward with negotiations.
