Lebanon: Female British embassy worker found strangled near Beirut

Rebecca Dykes had previously worked in London on diplomatic programmes related to Iraq and Libya, the LinkedIn page said. (Photo: Google Maps)

A female British embassy worker has been found strangled near a highway outside Beirut, a Lebanese security source said on Sunday. The British foreign ministry provided a statement by the family of the woman, Rebecca Dykes, 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.

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

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

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.