People place candles in a gathering in support of the families of two murdered foreign tourists near the Embassy of Denmark in Rabat, Morocco, on Dec. 22, 2018. The Moroccan security services have arrested nine people over their suspected links to the four alleged murderers of two foreign tourists in a mountainous area in central Morocco, the Interior Ministry announced Friday. The bodies of two women tourists, a Danish and a Norwegian, were found Monday near the tourist village of Imlil, 60 km away from the city of Marrakech. (Xinhua/Aissa)
RABAT, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Moroccan security services have arrested nine people over their suspected links to the four alleged murderers of two foreign tourists in a mountainous area in central Morocco, the Interior Ministry announced Friday.
According to a statement from the ministry, the nine suspects were arrested in the central cities of Marrakesh, Essaouira and Chtouka-Ait Baha as well as in the northern cities of Sidi Bennour and Tangier.
The bodies of two women tourists, a Danish and a Norwegian, were found Monday near the tourist village of Imlil, 60 km away from the city of Marrakech.
The authorities have arrested four main alleged participants in the murdering, who also appeared in a videotape pledging allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) militant group, and vowing to conduct terror acts.
The ministry said that the arrest of the nine suspects is part of an ongoing investigation into the crime and revealing "their motives and links to a terrorist act."
The search operation resulted in the seizure of electronic equipment, an unauthorized shotgun, knives, torches, binoculars, a military uniform, in addition to suspicious materials that could be used for manufacturing explosives, the statement added.
Since 2011, Morocco has been insulated from terror attacks plaguing other countries in North Africa.
The last terrorist attack in Morocco dates back to April 2011, when a suspected suicide bomber blew apart a famous tourist cafe in Marrakech, killing 17 and wounding dozens of others.
