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

The driver suspected of killing Rebecca Dykes over the weekend reportedly had an existing criminal record.

• Rebecca Dykes was killed and dumped on a roadside in Beirut on Saturday.
• The man suspected of killing the British diplomat is an Uber driver.
• He reportedly has a criminal record.
• He "immediately confessed" to the crime.
• Uber says it is assisting in the investigation.

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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.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported that the suspect — identified only as "Tareq H" attempted to rape her, strangled her, and dumped her body on the road. A security source told Reuters that he "immediately confessed" to the crime.

Police traced his car through surveillance cameras on the motorway, NNA reported.

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

Preliminary investigations showed the motive murder was purely criminal, and not political, Reuters reported.

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.

The driver suspected of killing Rebecca Dykes over the weekend reportedly had an existing criminal record. Read Full Story