ISIS fanatics who beheaded backpackers in Morocco shouted "these are your heads, enemy of God" in a horrific video of the execution.

Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, from Denmark, and Maren Ueland, 28, of Norway, were butchered on a hiking holiday after their suspected killers were seen lying in wait only 600 yards away.

21 Louisa Jespersen, pictured, and her friend Maren Ueland were murdered while camping at the foot of Mount Toubkal in the Atlas Mountains Credit: Facebook

Chilling footage circulating on social media shows a woman screaming while a man cuts her neck with what appears to be a kitchen knife.

During the video, the perpetrators cry out: "It's Allah's will" and are heard saying: "This is revenge for our brothers in Hajine in Syria. These are your heads, enemy of God."

A separate clip published on Twitter on Thursday appeared to show four men suspected of murdering the tourists pledging their alliance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

One of them holds a knife as they sit in front of a black and white flag.

While the video has been verified by intelligence analysts, official authorities are yet to comment on the footage.

What we know so far...

Two Scandinavian tourists were killed in their tents as they camped at the foot of Mount Toubkal in Morocco's Atlas mountains.

French hikers discovered their butchered bodies on Monday morning.

Cops arrested a further nine people on Friday after making four previous arrests.

The horrific video circulating on social media which appears to show the killings has not been authenticated by authorities.

All four suspects are said to have sworn allegiance to ISIS and Moroccan authorities are treating the murders as a terrorist act.

In the unverified video, the killers link their atrocity to Western bombings in Syria.

The murdered students were on a month-long holiday in Morocco and had just spent a week at a hotel in Marrakech.

A second video published on Twitter on Thursday claims to show the four suspects pledging their alliance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.



21 Maren Ueland, 28, is one of two students to be murdered while hiking in Morocco

21 Police in Morocco released a photo of these weapons that the suspects attempted to hide underneath their seats Credit: Police

The video appeared hours after the three men were arrested as they attempted to flee on a bus where they had hid four massive sword-like weapons under their seats.

Wearing hoods and black jackets, the men were sitting at the back of the bus and were found with knives and slingshots when they were arrested, vg.no reports.

A national security official identified three suspects to the Associated Press as Abdessamad Ejjoud, born in 1993, Younes Ouziad, born in 1991, and Rashid Aftati, born in 1986.

On Friday, AFP revealed that police had made a further nine fresh arrests over the murder of the backpackers - despite previous claims that they were not looking for any further suspects.

21 Cops have now arrested all four men after releasing pictures of the suspects Credit: 2m.ma

21 The suspects are said to be between the ages of 25 and 33 Credit: 2m.ma

21 Police have arrested four men over the murder of two Scandinavian backpackers Credit: http://www.2m.ma/

21 In a video circulating on Twitter today, the four suspects appear to claim responsibility for the attack

21 A truck transporting the bodies of the two murdered hikersfrom a morgue in Marrakesh to the airport Credit: AFP or licensors

Today's arrests came after police seized their first suspect on Tuesday after he left his ID in a tent close to the scene.

The brutes had beheaded one woman while the second had sustained a serious throat wound.

A Danish intelligence service spokesman said: “The video and preliminary investigation according to the Moroccan authorities indicate that the killings may be related to the terrorist organisation Islamic State.

“This is a case of an unusually bestial killing of two totally innocent young women.”

Moroccan authorities earlier announced they were treating the murders as acts of terror, as the Rabat public prosecutor's office confirmed that at least one of the men is affiliated to a terrorist group.

21 Norwegian tourist Maren Ueland was butchered while on a hiking holiday with her friend

21 Tragic Louisa loved the outdoors and wanted to be a professional guide Credit: Facebook

21 Norwegian tourist Maren Ueland named as second tourist killed in Morrocco throat slashing Credit: Facebook

The suspects can be heard shouting "it's Allah's will" in a chilling video showing a woman being butchered.

The men are heard referencing Hajin - an ISIS stronghold seized by US-backed forces this week - as an apparent justification for the atrocity.

But the authenticity of the video has still not been confirmed.

A police source told the Reuters news agency that the video appeared to have been filmed in a different place from where the bodies were found.

'We found the bodies... it was horrible' One woman has told how she and her girlfriend found the butchered bodies while they were enjoying an early morning hike. She told Norwegian news outlet vg.no: 'My girlfriend and I are on vacation and were going on a little hike. 'We started at 9.15. After about an hour's walk from Imlil, we arrived on a plateau. 'We saw a tent and that it was open and we saw the two girls. 'It was horrible. They were broken. 'We warned everyone we saw in Imlil not to go up there. I did not want more to see what we had seen, 'It was a big shock, we're thinking about it all day. It makes you think about what's important in life. 'To live and to be happy, to be happy. I'm sorry for the families and hope this will be resolved quickly.'

Today Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen said the crimes were "politically motivated and thus an act of terror".

"What should have been a holiday trip turned into a nightmare," he told reporters.

"There are still dark forces that want to fight our values", he said, adding: "We must not give in."

Maren and Louisa were in the middle of a month-long holiday when they pitched up in an isolated area at the foot of Mount Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa.

Prior to their hike, Maren and Louisa stayed for a week in a cheap hotel in the heart of Marrakech, vg.no reports - raising concerns that they were followed by their killers from the city.

21 A guide stands at the site of the atrocities in Morocco's High Atlas mountains Credit: EPA

21 Norwegian tourist Maren Ueland was a student in outdoor activities and cultural guidance Credit: Facebook

21 CCTV footage apparently shows three figures setting up camp near the women on Sunday night

21 A map showing where the women were murdered

Hotel workers in the Moroccan capital claimed Maren and Louisa were staying with three other girls and were spotted with local men before they set off on their mountain trek.

One hotelier said: “Three homeless men came from Marrakech and pitched a tent right next to the girls’ tent. The men were not from round here.”

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

Cops have released pictures of the three of the four suspects linked to the murder but have not yet confirmed their names. On Friday the bodies of the two women were flown back to Oslo from Morocco, AFP reported.

21 The bus in Marrakech after police arrested three of the suspects on board Credit: AFP or licensors

21 Police at the scene of the killing. They have now arrested all four suspects Credit: AP:Associated Press

21 The remote spot where Maren and Louisa were found butchered inside their tent Credit: AP:Associated Press

Morten Bøås at the Norwegian Department of Foreign Affairs has said that the killings were unlikely to be the work of more established terrorist groups.

He told aftenposten.no that he thought the group of men may have been inspired by ISIS or radicalised through the web.

It’s thought that the men may have stalked the pair before attacking them while they slept on Monday.

CCTV footage showed them setting up camp 600 yards from where the women were sleeping - and later leaving the area at 3am on Monday morning.

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.”

21 Louisa was an outdoor enthusiast who was widely travelled Credit: Facebook

The hiking trail The Atlas Mountains in Morocco are a magnet for hikers.

Imlil, where the murders took place, is a small village used as a base to reach Mt Toubkal, the tallest mountain in the country.

Hikers will often take on a two-day trek from Imlil, with or without a guide.

Day trips are also advertised from Marrakech to Imlil.

The attacks have shocked the country, where assaults on foreigners are extremely rare.

The last terror attack in Morocco was in 2011, making it relatively safe compared to other North African countries.

Maren's mum told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that her daughter was "warm and engaged".

She said: "Her first priority was safety. The girls had taken all the precautionary measures before embarking on this trip."

Louisa had posted on Facebook ahead of her upcoming trip, writing: "Dear friends, I'm going to Morocco in December.

"Any of you guys who's around by then or any mountain friends who knows something about Mount Toubkal?"

Both women were studying outdoor activities and cultural guidance at the University of Southeastern Norway and attended a campus in Boe, west of Oslo.

21 Locals in the tourist village of Imlil, where two women were murdered at the foot of Mount Toubkal Credit: AFP or licensors

21 The area around Imlil valley in the High Atlas Mountains are hugely popular with hikers Credit: Alamy

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In a statement, Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said: "This is a brutal and meaningless attack on innocent people, which we react to with disgust and condemnation."

Compared to other countries in North Africa, Morocco has been largely insulated from militant attacks.

The most recent took place in April 2011, when around 17 people were killed in a bombing of a restaurant in Marrakech.

An anti-terrorism rally is planned for Morocco's capital Rabat for Saturday.

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