Man arrested over murder of British diplomat in Beirut A man suspected in the killing a British woman who worked at the U.K. Embassy in Beirut has been arrested, […]

A man suspected in the killing a British woman who worked at the U.K. Embassy in Beirut has been arrested, the Foreign Office has confirmed.

The suspect, a taxi driver, was arrested on suspicion of murder in a 3am dawn raid.

A Lebanese police official said the suspect confessed that he had killed the woman whose body was found early on Saturday.

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The official said on Monday that the murder was a “criminal act” and not politically motivated.

British diplomat

Rebecca Dykes, believed to be 30, was strangled to death on Saturday, Lebanese police have confirmed.

She is believed to have been at a party in Gemmayze, a nightlife district of the city known for its cafés and pubs, on Friday, and left by herself around midnight.

Her body was found on the Metn highway, which leads out of Beirut to the north-east suburbs, without any identity papers. A forensic examination suggested she had died sometime around 4am on Saturday.

A forensic official in the country told the Associated Press news agency that Ms Dykes was strangled with a rope.

The unnamed official added that authorities are investigating the exact cause of her death and whether she was sexually assaulted.

Ms Dykes was planning to fly home to the UK for Christmas on Saturday.

‘We are doing all we can to understand what happened

A family spokesman said: “We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Rebecca. 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 at this very difficult time.”

Ms Dykes had been working in Beirut as a programme and policy manager with the Department for International Development, and had previously worked as a policy manager with the Libya team at the Foreign Office (FCO), according to her LinkedIn page.

She had also worked as an Iraq ­research analyst with the FCO.

She was a graduate of the University of Manchester, and also had a Masters in international security and global governance from Birkbeck, University of London.

‘Working with the local authorities’

The information branch of ­Lebanon’s internal security forces, essentially the intelligence ­department of the police, is conducting the investigation.

A Department for International Development spokesman said: “There is now a police investigation and the FCO is providing consular support to Becky’s family and working with the local authorities.”

The British ambassador to Lebanon, Hugo Shorter, tweeted: “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 the police investigation.”

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

The Foreign Office said it was in contact with the Lebanese authorities.

“Following the death of a British woman in Beirut, we are providing support to the family,” a Foreign ­Office spokesman said. “We remain in close contact with local authorities. Our thoughts are with the family at this difficult time.”