Morocco arrests 13 over killings of Scandinavian tourists Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and Maren Ueland, as horror video shows murder, decapitation
- The killings of Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and Maren Ueland have been linked to suspected jihadists
- Norwegian authorities say they have no reason to doubt the authenticity of a grisly video depicting the murders in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains
Horrific video footage has emerged on social media, appearing to depict the killings of two Scandinavian university students, one of whom is shown being decapitated, while they were hiking in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains.
Moroccan authorities say nine more people have been arrested in the gruesome slayings, which have been linked to suspected jihadists. The remains of Danish student Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, and 28-year-old Norwegian Maren Ueland were flown out of Casablanca on Friday, bound for Copenhagen, a Moroccan police spokesman said.
Norwegian police, meanwhile, said they had no evidence to doubt the video’s authenticity, which showed Jespersen’s head being cut off.
Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations said the latest arrests were made Thursday and Friday across the country. With four other men arrested earlier, that brings the total number of suspects in the case to 13.