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Lebanon murder inquiry arrest after UK woman's death | |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Police in Lebanon investigating the murder of a British woman who worked at the UK embassy in Beirut have arrested a man, a source has said. | |
Rebecca Dykes's body was found on the side of a motorway on Saturday. | Rebecca Dykes's body was found on the side of a motorway on Saturday. |
She had been strangled, the BBC was told by police sources, who said the suspect worked as a taxi driver. | |
Her family said in a statement: "We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Rebecca. We are doing all we can to understand what happened." | |
The added: "We request that the media respect our privacy." | |
Ms Dykes, who is believed to have been in her early 30s, had been working in Beirut as the programme and policy manager for the Department for International Development since January 2017. | |
It is thought Ms Dykes had spent Friday evening at a going-away party for a colleague in the popular Gemmayzeh district of Beirut, the BBC's Middle East correspondent Martin Patience said. | |
After leaving the bar at about midnight it appears she was abducted. Her body was found close to a motorway on the outskirts of the city. | After leaving the bar at about midnight it appears she was abducted. Her body was found close to a motorway on the outskirts of the city. |
Local police say a second post-mortem examination is to be carried out later. | Local police say a second post-mortem examination is to be carried out later. |
Hugo Shorter, the British Ambassador to Lebanon, tweeted that the whole embassy was "deeply shocked" and "saddened" by the news. | Hugo Shorter, the British Ambassador to Lebanon, tweeted that the whole embassy was "deeply shocked" and "saddened" by the news. |
A DfID spokesman said: "Our thoughts are with Becky's family and friends at this very upsetting time." | A DfID spokesman said: "Our thoughts are with Becky's family and friends at this very upsetting time." |
The Foreign Office said it was in contact with the Lebanese authorities following the death of a British woman in Beirut. | The Foreign Office said it was in contact with the Lebanese authorities following the death of a British woman in Beirut. |