Murders of Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and Maren Ueland
| Murders of Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and Maren Ueland | |
|---|---|
| Location | Foothills of Mount Toubkal, close to the village of Imlil, Morocco |
| Date | December 17, 2018 (bodies discovered) |
Attack type | Decapitation, stabbing |
| Victims | Louisa Vesterager Jespersen Maren Ueland |
| Perpetrators | Islamic State |
| Assailants | Abdessamad Ejjoud Younes Ouaziyad Rachid Afatti |
No. of participants | 24 |
| Motive | Islamic extremism Revenge for the Battle of Hajin |
| Verdict | 3 sentenced to death, 20 sentenced to 5 to 30 years in prison |
| Convictions | Murder |
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.
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 released on the Internet showed several of the suspects swearing allegiance to the Islamic State while decapitating Jespersen. Initially, detectives believed the crimes were sexually motivated, with witnesses and CCTV indicating the suspects followed the women. They were also camped 600 meters from the women.
French authorities demanded extradition of the three assailants. Moroccan authorities denied this due to the fact that the crime took place in Morocco; since then the three assailants have been sentenced to death by the Supreme Court of Morocco. These are the first death sentences handed out by Morocco since 1993. The executions are due to be completed within 30 years.