Moroccans hold anti-terror vigil for slain Scandinavian hikers Maren Ueland and Louisa Vesterager Jespersen
Updated about 5hrs ago
WATCHduration:47s
Hundreds of Moroccans attend a vigil for two Scandinavian tourists found murdered in the Atlas mountains. (ABC News)
Moroccans have gathered in front of the Norwegian and Danish embassies in Rabat for a candlelight vigil to honour two Scandinavian university students killed in a terrorist attack in the Atlas Mountains.
Key points
Authorities say the students were killed by four men affiliated with IS
Moroccans held signs at the vigil expressing sympathy for the victims and opposing terrorism
More than 1,000 Moroccans have joined IS in recent years
Hundreds of people brought flowers and shed tears on Saturday (local time) in a show of opposition to violence and religious extremism.
The killings shocked Moroccans as much as those in Denmark and Norway.
"I am deeply touched by the kind reactions of the Moroccan people after the tragic event," the Norwegian ambassador to Morocco, Merethe Nergaard, said in a statement.
The killings were the first terror attack to hit Morocco since 2011. (AP: Mosa'ab Elshamy)
The mourners included ordinary Moroccans joined by politicians, artists and activists.
Some held banners saying "Sorry" and condemned the brutal killings, which had revived fears of terrorism.
A man carries a picture of Maren Ueland and Louisa Vesterager Jespersen at the vigil. (AP: Mosa'ab Elshamy)
"Words cannot describe this barbaric crime," said Khalil Bensalmi, in his fifties, who came to the vigil with his two daughters.
"This doesn't at all represent Moroccan society or its pacifist culture."
The group first held a vigil in front of the Norwegian embassy, read a letter in memory of the two women, then held a moment of silence.
Many attendees cried. They then quietly departed to the Danish embassy, where again tears were shed, and candles were lit in honour of the two university students.
Ratiba Naji, a housewife, tried to hold back her emotions as she said: "It's horrendous. These girls deserve life. Their parents must be devastated. I am sorry."
A torch-lit parade was held in Ms Ueland's hometown in Norway on Friday.
The killings marked the first terrorist attack to hit Morocco since 2011, when a suicide bomber detonated in Marrakech and killed 16 people.
Moroccans expressed their sympathies and showed their opposition to the terrorist attack. (AP: Mosa'ab Elshamy)
More than 1,000 Moroccans have joined Islamic State in recent years, and Moroccan authorities arrested 20 cells with terrorist affiliations between 2017 and 2018.
Moroccans gather outside the Norwegian embassy in Rabat. (AP: Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Thirteen men have been detained in the investigation.
