More Than A Dozen Charged For Sharing Footage Of Morocco Backpackers Beheading

A total of 14 people have been charged for allegedly sharing videos of sick footage showing a female backpacker beheaded in Morocco. The mutilated bodies of Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, from Denmark, and Maren Ueland, 28, from Norway, were found in the Atlas Mountains south of Marrakesh on December 17, 2018. They were stabbed, had their throats slit and then beheaded.

Harrowing footage of one of the brutal killings started to circulate online. Danish police have investigated 118 reports, according to TV2 – a Danish national broadcaster – and have charged 14 people for sharing the horrific footage via Facebook Messenger and other social media platforms. Officers received more than 400 tip offs during the investigation. Six of the 14 charged are under the age of 18, while 12 people have been charged with unauthorised disclosure of the video under ‘especially aggravating’ circumstances.


The other two have been charged with ‘apologising for terrorism’. A police statement read: ‘The 14 charges highlight the seriousness of sharing the murder video from Morocco.

‘But it’s not just punishable, it’s also offensive to both victims and relatives, and it can be a profound and deeply unpleasant experience for both children, young people and adults to see it.’ Louisa and Maren had been on a trekking holiday together. The two women’s bodies were found by a hiker from France on a route to Toubkal, North Africa’s highest peak.