Female backpackers slaughtered in tent at mountain campsite

WARNING – DISTRESSING CONTENT: Two young Scandinavian women trekking in the High Atlas mountains in Morocco have been found brutally murdered.

The bodies of Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and Maren Ueland were discovered on Monday at a campsite above the tourist village of Imlil, a well-known departure point for mountain hikes, where they had pitched their tent for the night.

The women were found with their throats cut, Moroccan authorities said on Tuesday as they announced the arrest of a suspect in the nearby city of Marrakesh.

Ms Vesterager Jespersen, a 24-year-old Danish student, and her Norwegian friend Maren Ueland, 28, were on a month-long trip to Morocco.

An Imlil hotelier mentioned “three homeless people” from a poor area of Marrakesh whom, he said, had pitched their tent near the two women.

One of the victims was found “inside the tent, the other outside, decapitated”, according to the hotelier who said he arrived at the crime scene before the gendarmerie.

Another local restaurant owner said the backpackers were “cheerful and energetic” when they passed through.

They told me that they intended to scale Toubkal,” he said, referring to the highest peak in North Africa which stands at 4,167 metres.

The restaurateur, who requested anonymity, said he had “suggested putting them in contact with a guide but they declined” the offer.

According to her Facebook page, Jespersen had studied in Norway to be a guide.

Ms Ueland’s mother, Irene Ueland, meanwhile told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that the pair were well prepared.

“Her priority was safety. The girls took every precaution before going on this trip,” she said.

Slayings labelled as an ‘act of terror’

Moroccan prosecutors say the suspect arrested in the murders is allegedly connected to a terrorist group.

Morocco’s state television reported on Wednesday that authorities consider the slayings of the young women from Denmark and Norway to be a terrorist act. Local media reported that the suspect allegedly had links to the Islamic State group.

The killing has shocked Morocco, where attacks on foreigners are extremely rare.

The Rabat public prosecutor’s office said in a statement Wednesday that the one suspect arrested so far has affiliations to a terrorist group, without naming the group.

Three other suspects have been identified and but are still on the run, a security official told The Associated Press.