Swiss-Spanish ‘instructor’ arrested in IS-inspired slaughter of Scandinavian tourists in Morocco

Moroccan authorities have detained a dual Swiss-Spanish national in connection with the brutal murder of two Scandinavian tourists. The suspect, authorities believe, was a local terrorist recruiter.

The man, whose name was not released to the public, was arrested in the city of Marrakech on Saturday, over his alleged links to a group of men linked to the horrific murder of the two young hikers. Earlier, the country's authorities detained 18 people in connection with the killings, including four suspects believed to be inspired by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).

The dual national is suspected of teaching some of those arrested “about communication tools involving new technology and training them in marksmanship,” the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) said Saturday. The extremist, authorities believe, was also involved in the “recruitment of Moroccans and sub-Saharans to carry out terrorist plans in Morocco.”

On December 17, the bodies of two Scandinavian tourists, Louisa Jespersen, a 24-year-old Danish student, and Maren Ueland, a 28-year-old Norwegian, were found at a secluded tourist site not far from Marrakech. They had been brutally stabbed and one of them was beheaded on camera. The news of the gruesome murder shocked Denmark and Norway, as well as Morocco, which had not experienced a major terrorist act since the April 2011 Marrakesh bombing.

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