Terror in Atlas: Louisa and Maren's brutal fate in 2018

December 2018 was a dark month in Morocco when a brutal crime sent shockwaves internationally. Two young Scandinavian women, Danish Louisa Vesterager Jespersen (24) and Norwegian Maren Ueland (28), were on an adventurous hike in the Atlas Mountains when their lives tragically ended. They were found brutally murdered and beheaded near the village of Imlil, a gruesome act of violence and stabbing that was quickly linked to Islamic extremism and terror. What should have been a celebration of friendship and love for nature turned into a nightmare, revealing the global threat from terrorist groups like Islamic State (IS).

Louisa and Maren: Friendship and fatal dream of Morocco

Louisa Vesterager Jespersen from Ikast in Denmark and Maren Ueland from Bryne in Norway shared a passion for the outdoors, a subject they studied together at the University of South-Eastern Norway. Their shared dream of adventure led them as tourists to Morocco on December 9, 2018. After arriving in Marrakech, they continued towards Imlil, a popular starting point for hikes to Toubkal, North Africa's highest mountain. The last digital traces showed Louisa innocently seeking advice for the trip on Facebook, unaware of the fate that awaited them.

Night of Dec 17th: IS attack and crucial ID card

On the night between December 16th and 17th, Louisa and Maren were camping in their tent on a remote plateau in the Atlas Mountains. In the darkness, four men approached their tent: Abdessamed Ejjoud, Younes Ouaziyad, Rachid Affati, and a fourth accomplice. The day before, these men had recorded a video pledging allegiance to Islamic State and declaring their intention to avenge the West's actions in Syria – a clear motive for terror. Around 10:30 PM, they entered the women's tent, brutally attacked them with knives – a fatal stabbing – and left their bodies. The next day, the bodies were found by a French couple who raised the alarm. In the abandoned tent, police found an ID card belonging to one of the perpetrators, which became a key piece of evidence in solving these murders.

Murder hunt: Marrakech arrests and the IS video

Moroccan authorities immediately launched an extensive investigation and manhunt for the perpetrators of these murders. The first arrest occurred on December 18th, and by the end of the month, 18 people were in police custody. The four main suspects, Abdessamed Ejjoud, Younes Ouaziyad, Rachid Affati, and the fourth man, were arrested on December 20th at a bus station in Marrakech, armed with the knives later identified as the murder weapons. The connection to terrorism was quickly confirmed, not only through the perpetrators' allegiance video to IS but also via gruesome video evidence showing the brutal murder itself. Both Norwegian and Danish police confirmed the authenticity of these videos. Morocco's public prosecutor immediately classified the killings as an act of terrorism, an assessment shared by then Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen. Grief was profound in Scandinavia, where thousands participated in memorial events in Ikast and Bryne to honor the victims of this high-profile case. Embassies in Morocco became focal points for condolences, and the Moroccan ambassador to Norway personally attended Maren Ueland's funeral to express the Moroccan people's revulsion at this violence. Louisa Vesterager Jespersen's funeral service in Ikast also brought many together in shared sorrow.

Verdict in Salé: Death to terror ringleaders

The extensive trial against a total of 24 men began in July 2019 in Salé, near Rabat. The charges in this case of terror and murder ranged from planning terrorist acts to complicity. During the trial, it emerged that the ringleaders had initially planned attacks on other targets but chose the two Scandinavian tourists as an 'easier' target to achieve maximum media coverage for their terror. The leader, Abdessamed Ejjoud, admitted that Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and Maren Ueland were random victims. After a lengthy trial, three of the ringleaders, including Abdessamed Ejjoud, were sentenced to death for murder and terrorism, a fourth to life imprisonment, while the remaining 20 defendants received prison sentences ranging from 5 to 30 years for their roles in Islamic extremism. Those sentenced to death appealed the verdict, but in February 2023, one of the convicts committed suicide in prison.

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