Diplomat ‘strangled’ and left by motorway
A British embassy worker whose body was found by the side of a motorway in Beirut was allegedly strangled.
Rebecca Dykes’s family said they had been left “devastated” following her death in the Lebanese capital on Saturday.
Police are investigating whether the victim, believed to be 30, had been sexually assaulted before she was found dead by the side of a road in the east of the city.
Ms Dykes was working as
a programme and policy manager with the Department for International Development and as policy manager with the Libya team at the Foreign Office (FCO).
The University of Manchester graduate had previously worked as an Iraq research analyst with the FCO.
A family spokesman said: “We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Rebec- ca. We are doing all we can to understand what happened. We request that the media respect our privacy as we come together as a family.”
British Ambassador to Lebanon Hugo Shorter said: “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 and working very closely with Lebanese authorities who are conducting a police investigation.”