- Rebecca Dykes was found dead by the side of the road after she was strangled
- She started working for the government in 2010 and was a diplomat in Lebanon
- It is now believed that Ms Dykes, 30, was sexually assaulted before her death
Published: 11:57 EST, 17 December 2017 | Updated: 12:53 EST, 17 December 2017
A female British diplomat in Lebanon has been found dead after being strangled in Beirut, senior police sources say.
Rebecca Dykes' body was found on Saturday close to the Metn expressway, in Lebanon's capital, reports Al Jadeed TV.
Authorities in the Middle East said they believe Ms Dykes, 30, from London, was strangled and raped before her death.
Ms Dykes started working for the government in 2010 and she had reportedly been at a bar in the centre of the city before she left after midnight.
Rebecca Dykes, a UK diplomat who worked at the British embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, has been found murdered
It is believed that Ms Dykes (pictured), who was in her 30s, was raped before her death
Her body has reportedly been transferred to the Dahr al-Bashak Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
She joined the Department for International Development and had been working as a programme and policy manager based in Lebanon since January.
Before she moved to Beirut she worked for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on the Libya team as a policy manager.
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.'
A spokesman for the Department for International Development where she worked said: 'Our thoughts are with Becky's family and friends at this very upsetting time.
Her body was found on Saturday close to the Metn expressway (pictured) in Lebanon's capital (pictured)
Ms Dykes was working in Beirut (pictured) and her body has been found close to the busy road
'There is now a police investigation and the FCO (Foreign Office) is providing consular support to Becky's family and working with the local authorities.'
A Foreign Office spokesman added: 'Following the death of a British woman in Beirut, we are providing support to the family.
'We remain in close contact with local authorities. Our thoughts are with the family at this difficult time.'
Read more:
[contf] [contfnew] 
Daily Mail
[contfnewc] [contfnewc]
The post UK diplomat Rebecca Dykes found murdered in Beirut appeared first on News Wire Now.
