Gang Killed Scandinavian Women in Morocco After 2 Days of Hunting for Targets

Two Scandinavian women, who went on a backpacking trip, were murdered on December 17 in Morocco's High Atlas Mountains by "a lone wolf gang." The cell does not have formal ties to *Daesh, but it is associated with the international terror group.

Police detained five more suspects believed to be responsible for the horrific killing of two women, Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, from Denmark, and Maren Ueland, 28, from Norway, bringing the total number of people in custody to 19, media reported on Wednesday. 

According to the head of Morocco's central office for judicial investigation, Abdelhak Khiam, the gang members went to a popular tourist hiking area to hunt victims for two days before the murder.

READ MORE: Suspected Slayers of Scandinavian Women Were 'Lone Wolves' — Police

Police also revealed details of the killing stating that, during the attack, criminals repeatedly stabbed the young women, before they slitting their throats and decapitating them.

Following the deadly assault, graphic footage displaying the horrors of the crime and how the attackers pledged allegiance to the Daesh was uploaded to social media. However, the gang reportedly has no formal ties with the terrorist group and the killing was not coordinated by Daesh. 

The Scandinavian girls were found dead in the early hours of December 17, not far from the village of Imlil on a route to Toubkal, North Africa's highest peak in the Atlas Mountains and a popular hiking and trekking destination.

*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/Islamic State) is a terrorist group banned in Russia.