Man arrested over murder of British diplomat in Lebanon was an Uber driver

Department for International Development

Rebecca Dykes was found dead by a highway outside Beirut.

The man suspected of murdering a British diplomat in Lebanon is an Uber driver.

The ride-sharing company told Business Insider that it is assisting authorities after he was arrested in Beirut.

Rebecca Dykes' body was found near a motorway outside Beirut on Saturday morning after she attended a work gathering in the city centre the night before.

Lebanese state media described the suspect - identified only as "Tareq H" - as a taxi driver.

The state-run National News Agency claimed he confessed to killing Dykes. The agency added that the driver attempted to rape her, strangled her, and dumped her body on the road.

Dykes was working as a Programme and Policy Manager with Britain's Department for International Development.

A spokesman for Uber told Business Insider: "We are horrified by this senseless act of violence. Our hearts are with the victim and her family.

"We are working with authorities to assist their investigation in any way we can."

According to Lebanon's Daily Star newspaper, citing "security sources," the driver had "an existing criminal record."

Uber drivers in Lebanon need to be licensed and would normally have criminal record checks carried out by the government.