Murders of Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and Maren Ueland

Louisa Vesterager Jespersen (born 1994) grew up in Ikast, Denmark. She attended Vestre School and became a student at the Ikast-Brande Gymnasium in 2013. She had been traveling to places like Argentina, Peru and Norway. Jespersen applied for participation in Fjällräven Polar expedition in 2017 and 2018.

Maren Ueland (born 1990) was from Bryne, Norway.

Jespersen and Ueland were students at the University of South-Eastern Norway, where they studied outdoor recreation and nature guidance to become tour guides.[7] The pair had arrived in Morocco on 9 December as tourists with the intention of trekking and "chasing experiences", according to Jespersen's mother.[6] The two women first arrived in Marrakesh before travelling to Imlil in the Atlas Mountains. The village of Imlil is popular with travellers as the main base for summiting Toubkal, which is the highest peak in North Africa.[4]

Four attackers had shared a video on social media before the attacks, pledging allegiance to the ISIS terror group and talked about "destruction caused by the warplanes of the Crusader alliance". One of the attackers says "Keep fighting the enemies of Allah, wherever you are, you have no excuse and, be informed that we are your supporters… you have allies among us."[8]

According to Swedish Defence University researcher Magnus Ranstorp, terrorists attacking tourists is not a new phenomenon and it aims to destabilise the country where such attacks take place.[6]

While Morocco is generally seen as a secure destination for tourists as the last terrorist attack happened in 2011 where 17 people were killed by bomb at a restaurant in Marrakesh, over 1600 people have travelled from Morocco to join the Islamic State in the Syrian Civil War. Moroccan authorities initially ignored the people who joined ISIS but later on realised they could return to commit terrorist offences in Morocco. As a result, the Bureau central d'investigation judiciaire (BCIJ) was formed.[9]

According to a researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, Moroccan authorities appear to have a good grip on the jihadist situation and cooperate with European and US authorities. Moroccans are overrepresented in "diaspora terrorism", that is terrorism which takes place outside the borders of Morocco; for example, two Moroccans were behind the 2017 London Bridge attack and a Moroccan killed people by driving his van into pedestrians in La Rambla in the 2017 Barcelona terrorist attacks, and a day after another Moroccan killed two women in the 2017 Turku attack.[9]

The village of Imlil and the surrounding valley

On the morning of 17 December 2018, a pair of French hikers came across the decapitated bodies of the victims and their tent near a trail connecting Imlil to Mount Toubkal.[10] A suspect named Abderrahim Khayali was quickly apprehended following the incident after police found a forgotten ID in the tent they had left behind.[11] Three additional suspects, Abdessamad Ejjoud, Rachid Afatti and Younes Ouaziyad, were later apprehended by the police while riding a bus during the morning rush hour in the nearby city of Marrakesh.[12] The three suspects were caught in possession of bladed weapons. Abdessamad Ejjoud is assumed to be the leader of the group, and the four men shot a video the week before the murders where they pledged allegiance to ISIS.[13]

The killers had agreed to carry out a terrorist act on either security services or foreign tourists, before deciding to travel to the Imlil region to look for foreigners and where they would target the two backpackers.[14] In the video of the killings, the attackers can be heard shouting "enemies of Allah" and "revenge for our brothers in Hajin".[15]

Moroccan police later made additional arrests of individuals believed to have connections with the suspects.[5]

The remains of the victims were flown to Copenhagen 21 December 2018.[19]

Jespersen's funeral was held in her native town of Ikast, Denmark on January 12.[20] The Danish prime minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen attended the funeral.[21]

Ueland was buried on January 21 in Jæren, Norway. The Norwegian minister of health Bent Høie and the Moroccan ambassador Lamia Radi attended the ceremony.[22]

In Morocco, news of the attack was met with widespread outrage and condemnation. The incident received extensive coverage in the international press. Reactions in the native countries of the victims were of shock and outrage. A public torchlit vigil was held in Ueland's native town of Bryne in support of her family and loved ones.[19]

Vigils for the victims were held in Rabat at the embassies of Norway and Denmark, along with vigils in Marrakesh and Imlil.[23]

Two videos: one depicting the murder and another where the suspects video themselves swearing allegiance to ISIS were published onto social media.[24] Moroccan authorities and Norway's National Criminal Investigation Service agents have said the videos are authentic.[5]

• Louisa Vesterager Jespersen at Find a Grave