13 Arrested in Connection with the Murder of Two Scandinavian Female Students in Morocco

After the news of the murder of two Scandinavian female students in Morocco by members of the Islamic State group, ISIS, officials announced that the number of suspects arrested in connection with the murder of these two girls has reached 13. The Moroccan government spokesperson described the killing of Louisa Vestrager Jespersen, 24, and Maren Ueland, 28, as a criminal and terrorist act. Local Moroccan authorities reported on Monday, December 24, that 9 new suspects have been arrested in connection with this case, and according to the Moroccan Judicial Inspection Department, these individuals were in contact with four main suspects who had been arrested earlier. Reports indicate that quantities of weapons and materials used in making explosives were discovered from these individuals. Three of the suspects in the murder of the two Scandinavian female students, Louisa Vestrager Jespersen, a Danish citizen, and Maren Ueland, a Norwegian citizen, were both students of tourism guidance at a university in southern Norway who had traveled to Morocco for nature tourism and had set up camp near the village of Imlil in the Al Haouz province. Two French female tourists discovered the bodies of the two students near their tent on Monday, December 17. According to local officials, the killers had decapitated Ms. Jespersen and left a deep wound on Ms. Ueland's neck. Earlier, the Moroccan news agency 'MAP' reported, citing Bouabkar Sabik Amid, the national security spokesperson, that four individuals had been arrested in connection with the murder of these two girls. According to this Moroccan official, the killers had gone to the crime scene 'without a specific target' and had not planned the murder of the two victims in advance. However, in a video that is said to have been released after the incident, the four main suspects declare their loyalty to the Islamic State group, ISIS. In another video, which security experts say is 'likely' related to the scene of Ms. Jespersen's beheading, the killer says in Arabic, 'This is the will of Allah.' Shortly after the gruesome murder of Louisa Vestrager Jespersen, users who are said to be supporters or members of the Islamic State group published the video of her beheading on her mother's Facebook page. At the same time, photos of the bodies of the two girls were sent to some of their family members. A gathering of Moroccan citizens in front of the Danish embassy in Rabat. According to security officials, information about the families of the two victims was likely obtained from their mobile phones by the killers. The Danish government has announced that a group of intelligence and security specialists is reviewing the photos and videos sent. Meanwhile, both Facebook and Twitter have deleted posts related to this crime and suspended the accounts of those who posted them. Nevertheless, the heartbreaking images of this incident continue to be shared on social media. In this context, the family of Jespersen has requested social media users to refrain from viewing and sharing images of the murder of Louisa and Maren. Louisa's Facebook page has also been changed to a 'memorial page.' In her last public post on Facebook, Louisa wrote that she was heading to Morocco in December. In this post, she mentioned her intention to go to Mount Toubkal, which is near the village of Imlil. On Saturday, a number of Moroccan citizens also gathered in front of the Danish embassy in Rabat, the capital of Morocco, to express their condolences to the victims' families.