'Beheading photos sent to mum' of tourist killed in Morocco
The mother of one of two Scandanavian hikers found killed in Morocco has reportedly had disturbing images posted to her Facebook page.
The bodies of Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and Maren Ueland were discovered with stab wounds to the neck on Monday at a campsite near the tourist village of Imlil.
Irene Ueland, the mother of Norwegian Maren Ueland, shared an image on Facebook of her 28-year-old daughter with her large dog in tribute to the young woman.
The post has amassed thousands of comments in the past few days, with countless people expressing their condolences.
But News.com.au reports the grieving mother was also bombarded with uncensored images on Facebook, which allegedly showed the severed and partially severed heads of the two women.
According to Associated Press, a plane carrying the bodies of 28-year-old Norwegian Maren Ueland and 24-year-old Louisa Vesterager Jespersen took off Friday from Casablanca for Denmark.
The Norwegian news agency NTB said Ueland’s autopsy would be performed in her home country.
Nine more people have been arrested in Morocco for connections to the four initial suspects in the killing of two Scandinavian university students in a remote corner of the Atlas Mountains, Moroccan authorities said Friday.
A total of 13 men have been detained after the murder of the female hikers from Denmark and Norway.
Authorities in Morocco consider the killings a terrorist act. The women’s bodies were found Monday with stab wounds in their necks.
Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judicial investigations said the nine new suspects had been carrying arms and “suspicious materials” used in the manufacture of explosives at the time of their arrests. No further details were available.
In Norway, police said a video which allegedly shows the killing of one of the women is likely authentic.
Norway’s National Criminal Investigation Service has been investigating the footage circulating on social media.
“There is no concrete evidence indicating the video is not real,” it said.
As for another video in which the four initial suspects appear to pledge allegiance to the Islamic State group, the NCIS said that “neither Norway nor Denmark was mentioned in the video, nor was there anything specific about what action they should perform.”
Please don't watch the #Morocco video. You know what's going to be on it, you know what you'll see. Someone's precious daughters in their final moments, horrifically robbed of their lives. Don't give the monsters the satisfaction. You can give these beautiful girls their dignity
— Vanessa Bailey (@vbaileyactor) December 20, 2018
Both women had lived in southern Norway, where they attended university.
The NCIS said it was trying to map their activities before their departure for the village of Imlil, a frequent starting point for treks to Mount Toubkal, North Africa’s highest peak. The women were found 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from the village.
Morocco is generally considered safe for tourists but it has been routing out Islamic extremists for years.
– with Associated Press
