Three arrested in Morocco tourist murders

Three suspects are being questioned over the brutal murders of two Scandinavian women whose bodies were found in Morocco's High Atlas mountain range.

Suspect in the murders of two Scandinavian women

Three men have been detained in Marrakech after the brutal murders of two Scandinavian tourists. (AAP)

Moroccan police have arrested three men over the murder of two Scandinavian tourists earlier this week.

The suspects have been detained in the Moroccan city of Marrakech and are being questioned, the Central Bureau for Judicial Research says.

"The bureau is investigating the likelihood of a terrorist motive behind this crime, which is backed by evidence found in the search process," Thursday's statement said.

Moroccan authorities on Monday found the bodies of two female tourists, from Denmark and Norway.

They were found near the town of Imlil in the High Atlas mountain range, near the summit of Mount Toubkal, with cuts to their necks.

Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said there were indications the murders were terror-related.

"We do not know the circumstances, but a lot suggests that the brutal killing was an act of terror, and there's a video on social media," he told reporters in Copenhagen.

Rasmussen said no group has so far claimed responsibility.

Moroccan authorities and Danish police were trying to verify the video clip that allegedly showed the killing of one of the women, he added.

Norway's Prime Minister Erna Solberg said in Oslo that it was "a brutal and senseless attack that we condemn".

The victims were 28-year-old Norwegian national Maren Ueland and 24-year-old Louisa Vesterager Jespersen of Denmark.

Both women were students at the University of South-Eastern Norway, where they were studying outdoor leadership, culture and ecophilosophy.


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Source: AAP


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