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Murders of Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and Maren Ueland

January 29, 2023

On 17 December 2018, the bodies of Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, a 24-year-old Danish woman, and Maren Ueland, a 28-year-old Norwegian woman, were found decapitated in the foothills of Mount Toubkal near to the village of Imlil in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco.[4][2]

Murders of Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and Maren Ueland
Imlil
Imlil (Morocco)
LocationFoothills of Mount Toubkal, close to the village of Imlil, Morocco[1]
DateDecember 17, 2018 (bodies discovered)
Attack type
Decapitation, stabbing[2]
VictimsLouisa Vesterager Jespersen
Maren Ueland
Perpetrators Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
AssailantsAbdessamad Ejjoud
Younes Ouaziyad
Rachid Afatti
No. of participants
24
MotiveIslamic extremism
Revenge for the Battle of Hajin[3]
Verdict3 death sentences, 1 life sentence, 20 sentenced to 5 to 30 years in prison

A total of 18 men have been arrested by Moroccan Police in relation to the murders. The murders were described by the Moroccan general prosecutor as a terrorist act, after a video of several of the suspects were shown swearing allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant while decapitating Jespersen was released on the Internet.[5][6]

Background

Further information: Islamic terrorism § Morocco

Louisa Vesterager Jespersen (born 1994) grew up in Ikast, Denmark. She attended Vestre School, and became a student at the Ikast-Brande Gymnasium [da] in 2013. She had been travelling to various different countries, such as 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 discussed "destruction caused by the warplanes of the Crusader alliance". One of the attackers stated, "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; the last terrorist attack happened in 2011, where 17 people were killed by a bombing 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 [fr] (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", which is terrorism which takes place outside the borders of Morocco; for example, two Moroccans were behind the 2017 London Bridge attack, a Moroccan killed people by driving his van into pedestrians in La Rambla in the 2017 Barcelona terrorist attacks, and the following day, another Moroccan killed two women in the 2017 Turku attack.[9]

Murders and investigation

 
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 an ID in the victims' tent, that had been left behind by the suspect.[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 had 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".[3]

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

Trial

In total, 24 went on trial in Salé, near Rabat in Morocco. Of those charged, 23 suspects are Moroccans from Marrakesh, and one is a Swiss-Spanish Muslim convert. Three of them were charged with murder, and the other 23 of various terrorist charges.[7]

In May 2019, one of the suspects admitted to killing one of the women. He had previously been jailed for having attempted to join the Islamic State in Syria, and was released in 2015.[7]

In July 2019, three of the suspects were given a death sentence, which their lawyer said he would appeal.[15]

Appeal

On 31 October of 2019, the death sentence for three of the convicted was upheld by the anti-terrorist court in Salé. In total, 24 suspects connected to the murders, or whom were members of the jihadist cell, were sentenced.[16]

The prime suspect, Abdessamad Ejjoud, was 25 years of age and organised the murder expedition with two accomplices, Younes Ouaziyad (27) and Rachid Afatti (33) who filmed the murders. A fourth suspect, Abderrahim Khayali, had his sentence elevated from life imprisonment to the death penalty. Khayali was part of the expedition into the mountain, but left the group before the killings. The court upheld received sentences from 5 to 30 years in prison for nineteen of the accused, and elevated one sentence from 15 to 20 years in prison. Ejjoud used his chance to speak before the sentence to ask for the death penalty, as he believed in neither the laws nor human rights. Ouaziyad and Afatti recited verses from the Quran.[16][17]

Like in the first trial, the court ordered the four prime suspects to pay 190,000 euros to the parents of Maren Ueland.[16]

The death penalty is still in effect in Morocco. In practice, no executions have taken place since 1993.[16][17]

As of 2023, the suspects are still awaiting execution.[18]

Funerals

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

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

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

Aftermath

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, Morocco 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 filmed 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]

See also

  • Kayla Mueller – American activist and aid worker abducted by ISIS and later killed.

References

  1. ^ "Suspect held after Scandinavian tourists killed in Moroccan mountains". Agence France-Presse. 18 December 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2018 – via The Guardian.
  2. ^ a b Altaher, Nada; Picheta, Rob (21 December 2018). "Arrests made after two tourists beheaded in Morocco". CNN. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  3. ^ a b Beaumont, Peter (20 December 2018). "Morocco murders: agents investigate footage as terror fears mount". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Scandinavian student murders: nine more arrested in Morocco". Agence France-Presse. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2018 – via The Guardian.
  5. ^ a b c "Video allegedly shows university students' murders in Morocco". CBS News. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  6. ^ a b c Thykier, Michael; Haislund, Jacob (20 December 2018). "Islamisk Stat i søgelyset efter drab på to veninder". Jyllands-Posten (in Danish). Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  7. ^ a b c "Morocco suspect admits killing Scandinavian hiker". BBC News. 31 May 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  8. ^ Bachl, Matt (21 December 2018). "Moroccan four 'swore allegiance to ISIS' before decapitating female tourist". 9News. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  9. ^ a b Plesner, Eva (20 December 2018). "Mindst 1.600 marokkanere sluttede sig til IS: Nu har Marokko et problem med "hellige krigere"". Jyllands-Posten (in Danish). Retrieved 2018-12-23.
  10. ^ Skjetne, Oda Leraan; Mikalsen, Helge; Sandnes, Ådne Husby; Haram, Ola (19 December 2018). "De fant Maren og Louisa drept: – Det var forferdelig". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  11. ^ Bellaouali, Ismail; Mekouar, Hamza (22 December 2018). "'Radical' young men key suspects in Morocco tourist murders". MSN News. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  12. ^ "'Radical' young men key suspects in Morocco tourist murders". Agence France-Presse. 22 December 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2019 – via France24.
  13. ^ Chamberlain, Samuel (24 December 2018). "'Mastermind' of backpacker beheadings arrested, Moroccan officials say". Fox News. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  14. ^ O'Neill, Marnie (27 December 2018). "What 'lone wolf' gang did before Scandinavian tourist beheadings". news.com.au. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  15. ^ "Morocco hikers: Three get death penalty for Scandinavian tourist murders". BBC News. 18 July 2019. Retrieved 2019-07-19.
  16. ^ a b c d "Scandinaves assassinées au Maroc : peine de mort confirmée pour les trois auteurs" (in French). 2019-10-31. Retrieved 2019-10-31.
  17. ^ a b "Morocco backpacker murders: Court confirms death penalty for killers | DW | 31.10.2019". DW.COM. Retrieved 2019-10-31.
  18. ^ "Three sentenced to death for Morocco backpacker murders". Reuters. 2019-07-18. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
  19. ^ a b Skodje, Marte (21 December 2018). "Marens familie takker for støtten". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2018-12-23.
  20. ^ "Danish PM joins hundreds at funeral for Dane slain in Morocco". The Local Denmark. Agence France-Presse. 12 January 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019 – via The Local.
  21. ^ "Danish woman Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, murdered in Morocco, mourned by hundreds at funeral". news.com.au. 13 January 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  22. ^ "Mördad norska begravdes". Göteborgs-Posten (in Swedish). 21 January 2019. Retrieved 2019-01-30.
  23. ^ "Morocco vigils for murdered Scandinavians". BBC News. 22 December 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-23.
  24. ^ O'Neill, Marnie (27 December 2018). "Family urges public not to watch Scandinavian tourist decapitation video". news.com.au. Retrieved 24 April 2019.

Further reading

  • "Morocco links Daesh to murder of Scandinavian tourists". Middle East Monitor (MEM) on Scribed.

January 29, 2023
murders, louisa, vesterager, jespersen, maren, ueland, december, 2018, bodies, louisa, vesterager, jespersen, year, danish, woman, maren, ueland, year, norwegian, woman, were, found, decapitated, foothills, mount, toubkal, near, village, imlil, atlas, mountain. On 17 December 2018 the bodies of Louisa Vesterager Jespersen a 24 year old Danish woman and Maren Ueland a 28 year old Norwegian woman were found decapitated in the foothills of Mount Toubkal near to the village of Imlil in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco 4 2 Murders of Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and Maren UelandImlilImlil Morocco LocationFoothills of Mount Toubkal close to the village of Imlil Morocco 1 DateDecember 17 2018 bodies discovered Attack typeDecapitation stabbing 2 VictimsLouisa Vesterager JespersenMaren UelandPerpetratorsIslamic State of Iraq and the LevantAssailantsAbdessamad EjjoudYounes OuaziyadRachid AfattiNo of participants24MotiveIslamic extremism Revenge for the Battle of Hajin 3 Verdict3 death sentences 1 life sentence 20 sentenced to 5 to 30 years in prisonA total of 18 men have been arrested by Moroccan Police in relation to the murders The murders were described by the Moroccan general prosecutor as a terrorist act after a video of several of the suspects were shown swearing allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant while decapitating Jespersen was released on the Internet 5 6 Contents 1 Background 2 Murders and investigation 2 1 Trial 2 1 1 Appeal 3 Funerals 4 Aftermath 5 See also 6 References 7 Further readingBackground EditFurther information Islamic terrorism Morocco Louisa Vesterager Jespersen born 1994 grew up in Ikast Denmark She attended Vestre School and became a student at the Ikast Brande Gymnasium da in 2013 She had been travelling to various different countries such as Argentina Peru and Norway Jespersen applied for participation in Fjallraven 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 discussed destruction caused by the warplanes of the Crusader alliance One of the attackers stated 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 the last terrorist attack happened in 2011 where 17 people were killed by a bombing 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 fr 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 which is terrorism which takes place outside the borders of Morocco for example two Moroccans were behind the 2017 London Bridge attack a Moroccan killed people by driving his van into pedestrians in La Rambla in the 2017 Barcelona terrorist attacks and the following day another Moroccan killed two women in the 2017 Turku attack 9 Murders and investigation Edit 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 an ID in the victims tent that had been left behind by the suspect 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 had 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 3 Moroccan police later made additional arrests of individuals believed to have connections with the suspects 5 Trial Edit In total 24 went on trial in Sale near Rabat in Morocco Of those charged 23 suspects are Moroccans from Marrakesh and one is a Swiss Spanish Muslim convert Three of them were charged with murder and the other 23 of various terrorist charges 7 In May 2019 one of the suspects admitted to killing one of the women He had previously been jailed for having attempted to join the Islamic State in Syria and was released in 2015 7 In July 2019 three of the suspects were given a death sentence which their lawyer said he would appeal 15 Appeal Edit On 31 October of 2019 the death sentence for three of the convicted was upheld by the anti terrorist court in Sale In total 24 suspects connected to the murders or whom were members of the jihadist cell were sentenced 16 The prime suspect Abdessamad Ejjoud was 25 years of age and organised the murder expedition with two accomplices Younes Ouaziyad 27 and Rachid Afatti 33 who filmed the murders A fourth suspect Abderrahim Khayali had his sentence elevated from life imprisonment to the death penalty Khayali was part of the expedition into the mountain but left the group before the killings The court upheld received sentences from 5 to 30 years in prison for nineteen of the accused and elevated one sentence from 15 to 20 years in prison Ejjoud used his chance to speak before the sentence to ask for the death penalty as he believed in neither the laws nor human rights Ouaziyad and Afatti recited verses from the Quran 16 17 Like in the first trial the court ordered the four prime suspects to pay 190 000 euros to the parents of Maren Ueland 16 The death penalty is still in effect in Morocco In practice no executions have taken place since 1993 16 17 As of 2023 the suspects are still awaiting execution 18 Funerals EditThe remains of the victims were flown to Copenhagen Denmark on 21 December 2018 19 Jespersen s funeral was held in her native town of Ikast Denmark on 12 January 20 The Prime Minister of Denmark Lars Lokke Rasmussen attended the funeral 21 Ueland was buried on 21 January in Jaeren Norway The Norwegian Minister of Health Bent Hoie and the Moroccan Ambassador Lamia Radi attended the ceremony 22 Aftermath EditIn 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 Morocco 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 filmed 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 See also EditKayla Mueller American activist and aid worker abducted by ISIS and later killed References Edit Suspect held after Scandinavian tourists killed in Moroccan mountains Agence France Presse 18 December 2018 Retrieved 22 December 2018 via The Guardian a b Altaher Nada Picheta Rob 21 December 2018 Arrests made after two tourists beheaded in Morocco CNN Retrieved 22 December 2018 a b Beaumont Peter 20 December 2018 Morocco murders agents investigate footage as terror fears mount The Guardian Retrieved 26 January 2019 a b Scandinavian student murders nine more arrested in Morocco Agence France Presse 21 December 2018 Retrieved 22 December 2018 via The Guardian a b c Video allegedly shows university students murders in Morocco CBS News 21 December 2018 Retrieved 22 December 2018 a b c Thykier Michael Haislund Jacob 20 December 2018 Islamisk Stat i sogelyset efter drab pa to veninder Jyllands Posten in Danish Retrieved 22 December 2018 a b c Morocco suspect admits killing Scandinavian hiker BBC News 31 May 2019 Retrieved 31 May 2019 Bachl Matt 21 December 2018 Moroccan four swore allegiance to ISIS before decapitating female tourist 9News Retrieved 26 January 2019 a b Plesner Eva 20 December 2018 Mindst 1 600 marokkanere sluttede sig til IS Nu har Marokko et problem med hellige krigere Jyllands Posten in Danish Retrieved 2018 12 23 Skjetne Oda Leraan Mikalsen Helge Sandnes Adne Husby Haram Ola 19 December 2018 De fant Maren og Louisa drept Det var forferdelig Verdens Gang in Norwegian Bokmal Retrieved 23 December 2018 Bellaouali Ismail Mekouar Hamza 22 December 2018 Radical young men key suspects in Morocco tourist murders MSN News Retrieved 24 April 2019 Radical young men key suspects in Morocco tourist murders Agence France Presse 22 December 2018 Retrieved 24 April 2019 via France24 Chamberlain Samuel 24 December 2018 Mastermind of backpacker beheadings arrested Moroccan officials say Fox News Retrieved 26 January 2019 O Neill Marnie 27 December 2018 What lone wolf gang did before Scandinavian tourist beheadings news com au Retrieved 26 January 2019 Morocco hikers Three get death penalty for Scandinavian tourist murders BBC News 18 July 2019 Retrieved 2019 07 19 a b c d Scandinaves assassinees au Maroc peine de mort confirmee pour les trois auteurs in French 2019 10 31 Retrieved 2019 10 31 a b Morocco backpacker murders Court confirms death penalty for killers DW 31 10 2019 DW COM Retrieved 2019 10 31 Three sentenced to death for Morocco backpacker murders Reuters 2019 07 18 Retrieved 2023 01 24 a b Skodje Marte 21 December 2018 Marens familie takker for stotten NRK in Norwegian Bokmal Retrieved 2018 12 23 Danish PM joins hundreds at funeral for Dane slain in Morocco The Local Denmark Agence France Presse 12 January 2019 Retrieved 24 April 2019 via The Local Danish woman Louisa Vesterager Jespersen murdered in Morocco mourned by hundreds at funeral news com au 13 January 2019 Retrieved 26 January 2019 Mordad norska begravdes Goteborgs Posten in Swedish 21 January 2019 Retrieved 2019 01 30 Morocco vigils for murdered Scandinavians BBC News 22 December 2018 Retrieved 2018 12 23 O Neill Marnie 27 December 2018 Family urges public not to watch Scandinavian tourist decapitation video news com au Retrieved 24 April 2019 Further reading Edit Morocco links Daesh to murder of Scandinavian tourists Middle East Monitor MEM on Scribed Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Murders of Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and Maren Ueland amp oldid 1135332477, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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