Imlil murders : The trial adjourned until a final hearing on July 18th

The trial of the 24 suspects involved in the murder of two Scandinavian tourists in the Atlas Mountains, Imlil, was adjourned until a final hearing on July 18.

The Court decided to devote the next hearing to the final say of the suspects and the closing of the proceedings.

The suspects, including a man with Swiss and Spanish nationalities, are standing trial over the charges of «setting up a gang to prepare and commit terrorist acts, deliberately putting the life of people in danger, possession of firearms and attempted manufacture of explosives in violation of the law, as part of a collective project aimed at seriously undermining public order».

As part of investigations carried out following the discovery of the dead bodies of two foreign tourists in the town of Imlil, the central Bureau for judicial investigations (BCIJ), under the directorate general for national territory surveillance, announced that it had arrested several suspects, in collaboration with the Royal Gendarmerie and the National Police.

During the hearing held Thursday in Sale, the mother of one of the two victims Helle Petersen said in a letter read by her lawyer that «was destroyed the moment that two policemen came to [her] door on December 17th to announce [her] daughter's death».

In her letter, the mother said that «the most just thing would be to give these beasts the death penalty they deserve, I ask that of you», AFP reports.

During the last hearing, Moroccan prosecutor in the Sale Appeal court sought death sentence for the three main suspects, accused of murdering two Scandinavian tourists.

The prosecutor demanded life imprisonment for the fourth suspect, who said that he was not with the three men on the day of the attack. He also demanded sentences ranging from 10 to 30 years in prison 20 other suspects tried in the case.

For the record, two of the main suspects admitted in a previous hearing that they beheaded Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, from Denmark, and Maren Ueland, 28, from Norway while a third one said that he filmed the act.