Morocco arrests suspect in killing of two Scandinavian women

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Rabat - A man suspected of involvement in the murder of two Scandinavian women in Morocco was arrested on Tuesday, an office affiliated with the Interior Ministry said. The man was arrested in the city of Marrakech, according to a statement by the central office of judicial research. Investigations are ongoing to arrest other suspects in the case, it added. The arrest comes a day after the bodies of two female tourists, from Denmark and Norway, were found in an isolated mountainous area in Morocco, with cuts to their necks. Both women were students at the University of South-Eastern Norway where they were studying outdoor leadership, culture and ecophilosophy.

The Norwegian national, Maren Ueland, was aged 28. She came from the small community of Bryne in south-western Norway, while 24-year-old Louisa Vesterager Jespersen was from Jutland, western Denmark.

They were found near the town of Imlil in the High Atlas mountain range, near the summit of Mount Toubkal, authorities said late Monday.

Local sources had told dpa that the two women were stabbed with a knife by unknown people.

Ueland's mother, Irene Ueland said her daughter's "first priority was security."

"Both young women had taken all the precautions they could, before heading off," Irene Ueland told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK.

The University of South-Eastern Norway said the two students were on a month-long private trip to Morocco. They flew to Morocco at the weekend.

The university condoled the families of the two victims, and said it was prepared to offer counselling to fellow students and teachers who might need support.

Flags at the university's different campuses were at half-mast. A memorial ceremony was planned in January.

dpa