British man shot dead in Libya ‘is missing oil worker’

A British man found shot dead in Libya is believed to be a missing oil worker, security officials said today.

The victim was found beside the body of a woman from New Zealand near Mellitah, home to a large oil and gas complex 60 miles west of the capital Tripoli, according to reports.

A photograph circulating on social media sites shows the bodies of a man and woman in civilian clothes, face down on sandy terrain near the complex.

Their belongings were apparently untouched and the motive for the killings is unclear.

The discovery comes less than a month after an American teacher was shot dead in the eastern city of Benghazi.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are aware of the tragic death of a Briton in Libya and we stand ready to provide consular assistance.”