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.