MARRAKESH, Morocco: Moroccan authorities on Tuesday arrested a suspect over the murder of two Scandinavian women in the High Atlas mountains, a popular trekking destination for tourists.
Other suspects are being sought over the killings of the Danish and Norwegian hikers who were found dead on Monday with cuts to their necks, the interior ministry said.
The bodies were discovered in an isolated mountainous area 10 kilometres from the tourist village of Imlil in the High Atlas range, near the Chamharouche shrine.
Imlil is a starting point for trekking and climbing tours of Mount Toubkal, which at 4,167 metres is the highest summit in North Africa.
The suspect was arrested in Marrakesh, a tourist hub located at the foot of the mountains about 60 kms north of Imlil, and held in custody for questioning, the ministry said. The Moroccan authorities described it as a “criminal act” but did not give further details about the circumstances of the murders.
The two women studied at a university in southern Norway and had planned to travel together for a month.
A Norwegian policeman from the embassy in Rabat is travelling to Marrakesh to act as a liaison. The investigation is being conducted by Morocco’s central bureau of judicial investigation in cooperation with the royal gendarmerie and authorities from national security.
Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2018
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