The victims, identified as 24-year-old Louisa Vesterager Jespersen from Denmark and 28-year-old Maren Ueland from Norway, resided in southern Norway, where they attended university.
The NCIS is working to trace their activities leading up to their journey to Imlil village, a common starting point for Mount Toubkal treks. The women were discovered approximately 6.2 miles from the village center.
Morocco, with minimal recent terror attacks, faces concerns that these murders might impact its crucial tourism industry, constituting 10 percent of the country’s income.
A video showing the alleged killing of the students is deemed likely authentic by Norwegian police, and Morocco’s general prosecutor confirms another video where the suspects pledge allegiance to ISIS.
The NCIS notes that neither Norway nor Denmark was specifically mentioned, and there were no explicit instructions for actions in the video.
Moroccan authorities have detained four men in connection with the incident, treating the killings as a terrorist act. The bodies of the two female students, who were hiking, were discovered by French hikers with stab wounds to their necks.
The victims, Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and Maren Ueland, both students from Denmark and Norway respectively, resided in southern Norway where they attended university.
The National Criminal Investigation Service (NCIS) is actively investigating their activities leading up to their departure for Imlil village, a common starting point for treks to Mount Toubkal in North Africa.
Morocco, despite experiencing few recent terror attacks, faces concerns over potential repercussions on its vital tourism industry, constituting 10 percent of the country’s income.
The murders of the two students have raised fears about the impact on Morocco’s image, particularly as its citizens have joined terrorist groups like ISIS abroad.
A video depicting the alleged killing of the students has been deemed likely authentic by Norwegian police. Morocco’s general prosecutor also confirms the authenticity of another video where the suspects pledge allegiance to ISIS and threaten to carry out attacks.
Notably, the video does not specifically mention Norway or Denmark, and there are no explicit instructions for actions related to these countries.
