Mob beating woman to death in Kabul 'filmed on mobile phone'

Seven suspects have been arrested after a mob beat a woman to death, before setting her body on fire and throwing it into a river in Kabul, police said.

Mobile phone footage later surfaced in Kabul apparently showing the horrific beating.

The Afghan capital’s head of criminal investigation, Mohammad Farid Afzali, said the attack happened last night.

He said the motive for the brutal assault is unknown, and added that the woman was known to have been under psychiatric treatment for four years.

Mr Afzali said officers “tried to disperse the crowd by shooting in the air, but reacted too late”.

Violence against women is endemic in Afghanistan, but mob assaults on women in Kabul are extremely rare.