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The murder of 2 Scandinavian backpackers in Morocco has been declared 'an act of terror', and officials are investigating video of an ISIS-style beheading

UELAND JESPERSEN THUMB
  • Denmark's Prime Minister says the murder of two Scandinavian backpackers in Morocco was "politically motivated and thus an act of terror."
  • His comments come after Louisa Jespersen from Denmark, and Maren Ueland from Norway, were found dead in Morocco's Atlas Mountains.
  • Moroccan authorities are investigating an ISIS-style beheading video shared online, which appears to show Jespersen.
  • Three men have been arrested. Authorities say "radical Islam is not ruled out due to the profile of the suspect."

The murder of two Scandinavian backpackers on a Moroccan hiking trail is "an act of terror," Denmark's Prime Minister has said, as officials investigate a video of an ISIS-style beheading posted online.

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Lars Lkke Rasmussen tweeted a statement on Thursday which said the brutal killing of a Danish and Norwegian woman in Morocco on December 18 was "politically motivated and thus an act of terror."

Danish intelligence officials confirmed Thursday that the video is authentic, according to Al Jazeera . Moroccan prosecutors also said that they are reviewing the footage.

INSIDER has also seen the footage, which we have chosen not to reproduce.

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It shows the death of a blindfolded woman in a white t-shirt, who appears to be Jespersen. A man severs her head with a knife, in a fashion similar to the videos showing the murder of western prisoners captured by ISIS.

Moroccan state television 2M said on its website that investigators believe the attack was terrorism, according to the Associated Press . It did not link the act to any named group.

As of Thursday, Moroccan authorities have arrested three men from Marrakech in connection to the women's murders, Norway Today said . Their names have not yet been released.

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The murdered women, both of whom studied outdoor activities and cultural guidance at the University of South-Eastern Norway, were on a month-long trip across Morocco.

They were found about 6 miles from the small village of Imlil which is a common starting point for people heading up Mount Toubkal, North Africas highest peak.

Violence against tourists in Morocco is extremely rare.

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