ISIS..ruthless group
THE three extremists with strong allegiance to ISIS who beheaded two women in the Atlas mountains have been sentenced to death by firing squad in Morocco.
Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, from Denmark, and Maren Ueland, 28, from Norway, were found dead on December 17 last year near a popular trekking trail in the Atlas mountains.
Their sentence comes after Louisa’s mum, Helle Petersen, called for the death penalty for her daughter’s killers. In a letter read out by her lawyer in an anti-terrorist court in Sale, Helle said: “The most just thing would be to give these beasts the death penalty they deserve, I ask that of you.
“My life was destroyed the moment that two policemen came to my door on December 17 to announce my daughter’s death.”
The evil trio of Islamic State sympathisers recorded a video of the murders and posted them online.
Abdessamed Ejjoud is believed to have been the leader of the IS cell, while 27-year-old Younes Ouaziyad and 33-year-old Rachid Affati participated in the planning and execution of the killings.
The suspects confessed to carrying out the brutal killings and posting the video online for other sick Jihadi supporters.
The women were on an unguided trip and camping close to North Africa’s highest mountain, Mount Toubkal.
Their killers had claimed allegiance to the Islamic State group in a video posted online just days earlier.
Authorities described them after their arrest as “lone wolves” who had not coordinated the killings with Islamic State.
Ejjoud, a 25-year-old salesman has turned his back on the terror group and the other two brutes have asked for God’s forgiveness.
In closing arguments on Thursday, prosecutor Khalid El Kerdoudi told the jury: “We can’t be lenient toward these human beasts.”
Despite their sentence, no executions have taken place in Morocco since 1993 due to a freeze.
Last month two of the suspects – Abdessamad Ejjoud and Youness Ouziyad – admitted to slaying the women as they slept in their tent.
A third suspect, Rachid Afatti, told the court hearing in Sale near Rabat that he filmed the killing.
ALLEGIANCE TO ISIS
Ejjoud said the video of the murder was shared with other Islamic State sympathisers.
He also admitted that he had beheaded one of the women, explaining: “After failing to join the Islamic State, we decided to do jihad at home.
“I regret what happened and I am still trying to grasp it.”
They said they also planned attacks on synagogues and churches.
The prosecutor called for life in prison for a fourth suspect who left the group on the day the murder took place.
Also on trial are 20 people accused of providing the men funding or training.
They face prison sentences ranging from 10 years to life, if convicted.
Lawyers for the women’s families are seeking damages from the Moroccan government.
Thesun.co.uk
