Suspect arrested by Moroccan authorities in charge of murder of two Scandinavian tourists

Moroccan authorities on Tuesday arrested a suspect following the murder of two Scandinavian tourists in the High Atlas mountains, the interior ministry said. Other suspects are being sought over the deaths of the two women -- a Dane and a Norwegian -- whose bodies were found on Monday with cuts to their necks, the ministry said.

The bodies were discovered in an isolated mountainous area 10 kilometers (six miles) from the tourist village of Imlil in the High Atlas range. Imlil is a starting point for trekking and climbing tours of Mount Toubkal, the highest summit in North Africa. The suspect was arrested in the city of Marrakesh about 60 kilometers north of Imlil, the ministry said.

The Danish victim, Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, "had her throat cut," her mother Helle Petersen was quoted by the Danish newspaper B.T. as saying. Her family had warned her against going to Morocco "because of the chaotic situation," she added.

According to Jespersen's Facebook page, she had studied in Norway to be a guide. The other victim was 28 years old, according to Moroccan media. Security was stepped up in the region and hiking suspended following the discovery of the bodies, media said. 

 

(With inputs from agencies.)