Lebanon arrests taxi driver over murder of British woman

Lebanese police yesterday arrested a taxi driver suspected of killing British embassy worker Rebecca Dykes after attempting to rape her, according to officials and the national news agency.

The Lebanese news agency said the Lebanese man had confessed to killing the young woman, who worked at the UK embassy in Beirut.

Dykes was last seen alive at a party in Gemmayzeh, a Beirut neighbourhood popular with foreign residents, on Friday night and left in a taxi.

"He picked her up in Gemmayzeh on Friday night, took her to Achrafieh then to the Metn highway and tried to rape her," the news agency said, referring to an expressway north of Beirut.

Her body was found dumped on the roadside there on Saturday evening.