Morocco Arrests 3 More in Hiker Deaths; IS Link Suspected

Morocco Arrests 3 More in Hiker Deaths; IS Link Suspected

Three more suspects have been arrested in the killing of two Scandinavian tourists in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, VOA news reports.

The bodies of Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, of Denmark and Maren Ueland, 28, of Norway were found Monday in an isolated area near Imlil, often the starting point for treks to Mount Toubkal, North Africa’s highest peak and a popular hiking destination.

Moroccan police arrested one man Wednesday and had been looking for the three who were arrested Thursday in Marrakech. Moroccan police and the Danish intelligence agency said the suspects were linked to the Islamic State terrorist group.

The killings were “politically motivated and thus an act of terror,” Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen said, without identifying the potential motives. “There are still dark forces that want to fight our values” and “we must not give in.”

In Norway, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said that terrorism “is not the only lead that is being investigated in Morocco” but that the case still “emphasizes the importance of combating violent extremism.”

The bodies of the two women were found Monday by other tourists, who alerted the authorities. They were found with stab wounds to the neck.

Morocco is generally considered safe for tourists but has battled Islamic extremism for years.