BRITISH DIPLOMAT,MURDERED BY STRANGULATION AFTER BEING SEXUALLY ASSAULTED IN BEIRUT ON FRIDAY.{PHOTOS}

A young British diplomat has been found murdered in the Lebanese capital Beirut after being strangled and reportedly sexually assaulted. 

Rebecca Dykes, 30, from London, who had been working for the Department for International Development, was killed after leaving a bar with friends on Friday night.

She had been out in the Gemmayzeh area of central Beirut for the leaving party of a colleague at the British embassy and had left just after midnight.She was abducted some time after and killed. Her body was found dumped on the Metn highway several miles away. 

Police sources said the first autopsy revealed the cause of death as strangulation, however a second postmortem examination is to be carried out later. They said they did not believe the attack to be politically motivated.One friend told pressmen: "It's horrific. We had no idea what happened to her until we got a call today to go to the police station to give statements.".Miss Dykes had been working in Beirut as the programme and policy manager for the Department for International Development since January 2017.She had worked for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office since 2010, previously on Libya and Iraq.  She is thought to have grown up in Hong Kong, but attended Malvern St James Girls boarding school in Worcestershire before later studying anthropology at Manchester University and International Security and Global Governance from Birkbeck, University of London. 

In a statement her family said: "We are devastated by the loss of our beloved Rebecca. We are doing all we can to understand what happened."

Hugo Shorter, the British ambassador to Lebanon, 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 police investigation."

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."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.".Such incidents are rare in Beirut, despite the fragile security situation in the country.More photos below.