Moroccans hold antiterror vigil for slain Nordic hikers

Moroccans gathered Saturday in front of the Norwegian and Danish embassies in Rabat in a candlelight vigil to honor two Scandinavian university students killed in a terrorist attack in the Atlas Mountains.

Hundreds of people brought flowers and shed tears Saturday in a show of opposition to violence and religious extremism. They were honoring 28-year-old Norwegian Maren Ueland and 24-year-old Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, whose bodies were found Monday. Authorities say the hikers were killed by four men affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militant group.

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 Saturday.

The mourners included ordinary Moroccans joined by politicians, artists and activists. Some held banners saying “Sorry” and condemned the brutal killing, which is unusual in Morocco and revived fears of terrorism.

“Words cannot describe this barbaric crime,” said Khalil Bensalmi who came to the vigil with his two daughters. “This doesn’t at all represent Moroccan society or its pacifist culture.”