Detectives investigating the horrific slaughter of two Scandinavian backpackers in their tent in Morocco believe it was sexually motivated.

It’s thought the three suspects from nearby Marrakech may have stalked Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, from Norway, and Maren Ueland, 28, from Denmark, before attacking them while they slept on Monday.

The women were found in and outside the tent. One had been decapitated, while the other had a serious throat wound.

But a police source told Morocco World News the murder investigation has excluded robbery as the motive because none of the victims’ belongings were missing.

Rather, sexual assault may have been the motive for the crime at a spot 6 miles from the remote mountain village of Imlil, near the foot of Mount Toubkal, North Africa’s highest peak.

It has emerged that the suspects were camped 600 meters (less than half a mile) from Louisa and Maren.

It is alleged that after committing the murders, they fled, leaving their tent, where a forgotten ID of one of the arrested men was found.

The suspects were also filmed on CCTV moving toward the spot where the women were camping.

They are now being hauled back to the scene of the crime to explain how the killings happened, according to a source.

A source told Morocco World News: “The suspects were camping in the same area that the murder took place.

“Witnesses saw the group at night as they were heading to the camp area.”