Lebanon detains suspect in murder of British embassy worker

Lebanese security forces have arrested a Lebanese taxi driver suspected of killing Rebecca Dykes, a British woman who worked at the British embassy in Beirut and was found dead on Saturday, a security source said.

The motive was purely criminal, not political, preliminary investigations showed, the security source said. Lebanese state media also reported a taxi driver had been arrested, citing a security source.

The British foreign ministry provided a statement by Dykes’ family but gave no details of the circumstances of her death.

“We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Rebecca. We are doing all we can to understand what happened,” the family said.

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Britain’s Ambassador to Lebanon, Hugo Shorter, tweeted: “The whole embassy is deeply shocked, saddened by this news.”

The whole embassy is deeply shocked, saddened by this news. My thoughts are with Becky’s family, friends and colleagues for their tragic loss. We're providing consular support to her family & working very closely with Lebanese authorities who are conducting police investigation.

— Hugo Shorter (@HugoShorter) December 17, 2017

Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces said on Saturday that the body of a woman who had been strangled had been found by a highway outside Beirut. A Lebanese security source named the woman on Sunday as Rebecca Dykes.

Dykes, who worked at the British embassy, had described herself on a LinkedIn page as a programme and policy manager with the Department for International Development – a position she had held since January.

Dykes had previously worked in London on diplomatic programmes related to Iraq and Libya, the LinkedIn page said.