PSNI detectives were last night trying to determine the motive behind the murder of a 29-year-old American woman backpacker who was found fatally injured near Queen's University Belfast.
A woman was in police custody last night after the victim, from New Mexico in the US, died as a result of a suspected assault at a Belfast tourist hostel off the Lisburn Road on Sunday evening.
The woman who was arrested on suspicion of murder is understood to be living in Belfast. Some sources said there may be no rational motive for the attack.
The murdered woman was discovered with head injuries outside the hostel at Fitzwilliam Street at about 7pm on Sunday.
She was rushed to the Royal Victoria Hospital where she died from her injuries.
Police were trying to establish whether the woman sustained the injuries inside the hostel and collapsed outside the building or whether she received her injuries outside the hostel.
The dead woman first visited Belfast about a month ago and since then travelled to Scotland before returning again to Belfast, it is understood.
The area around the murder scene was cordoned off yesterday while police and forensic experts examined the scene and conducted interviews in the area. Alternative accommodation was found for other hostellers at Fitzwilliam Street.
The US consulate in Belfast contacted the dead woman's family in the US yesterday.
They may travel to Belfast later in the week.
SDLP South Belfast Assembly member Carmel Hanna, who said she was horrified at news of the death of the young woman, said there was considerable arbitrary violence in the area around Queen's.
"The lower Lisburn Road area is one where there is a large number of rented properties and a constantly moving population of predominantly young people," she said.
"There is quite a high incidence of casual street violence - innocent young people are the main victims - and not so long ago a doctor going on duty at nearby Belfast City Hospital was assaulted.
"There is also a concentration of licensed premises in the area," she added.
"Quite frankly, while I do accept that the area around Queen's will inevitably have a high proportion of short-term residents, what this area needs are policies which will encourage the stabilisation of the social structure of the area," said Ms Hanna.
Sinn Féin Assembly member for South Belfast Alex Maskey offered sympathy to the dead woman's family and said that local people were shocked at the killing.
