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Rabat – Moroccans, and people all around the world are mourning the deaths of Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, from Denmark and Maren Ueland, 28, from Norway who were murdered in Morocco’s Imlil near Mount Toubkal.
Many Moroccans on social media are calling on authorities to give the four suspects in the case the death penalty.
Moroccans are also commenting “#sorry” and “#RIP” hashtags on the public Facebook posts of the Danish victim Louisa Vesterager Jespersen.
One statement made by a Moroccan on the incident is also going viral: “As a Moroccan, I’m deeply shocked about the Incident & truly #sorry for what happened in Morocco hope the suspects get what they deserve, we do not tolerate such actions like this in our country #Rest_in_Peace We are so sorry.”
Louisa had written her final public Facebook post about visiting Mount Toubkal.
Louisa and Maren’s bodies were found on Monday, December 17. The two women had been sharing a tent in an isolated area in the High Atlas Mountains.
The women were found near their tent with knife wounds to their necks.
Some sources reported that the women were hiking without a guide and had been stalked.
Police arrested three murder suspects on Thursday in addition to the first suspect who was arrested on Tuesday.
While Moroccan security services have announced that the murder was a potential terror attack, they have not confirmed whether it was ISIS-related.
Read Also: Suspects in Scandinavian Tourists’ Murder Pledge Allegiance to ISIS in Video
Responding to international commenters who began to express doubt about security in Morocco, several Norwegian nationals said that their “love” for Morocco would not stop them from visiting the country.
One Norwegian wrote to MWN: “This won’t tarnish my love still for Morocco, InshaAllah I return sooner than later I live in Norway, people here love Morocco this won’t stop them from visiting it. They look at it as homicide that could have happened in Norway.”
When some speculated that Morocco’s tourism will suffer following the tragic deaths of the tourists, an anonymous diplomatic source told Morocco World News that “Morocco is generally perceived as a safe country.”
A tour guide in Imlil where the murder took place condemned the murder and confirmed to Morocco World News that tourists are still visiting the region and hiking there.
Denying speculations that fearful tourists have left the area, the tour guide said that tourists are still checking into nearby hotels.
The guide stated that the tourists and visitors were saddened by the incident, but that the atmosphere is currently peaceful.
Read Also: El Khalfi: Morocco Condemns Terror Act Against Scandinavian Tourists
The area is known for its hospitable, friendly people and scenic views.
A graphic video, allegedly of the murder, began circulating social media Wednesday night.
The video shows Moroccan men slicing the throat of one of the victims. The footage records two voices of the killers, speaking in Darija (Moroccan Arabic). One said: “This is a revenge for our brothers in Hajin,” referring to a small town in eastern Syria that was ISIS’ last holdout.
After international news outlets, including the Guardian and AFP, reported that Denmark confirmed the authenticity of the footage today, Danish security services announced in a statement that they did not authenticate the video.
Danish and Moroccan authorities are currently investigating the authenticity of the footage.
