Morocco court adjourns trial in murder of Scandinavian hikers

Danish student Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, and 28-year-old Norwegian Maren Ueland had their throats slit before they were beheaded in December at an isolated site in the High Atlas mountains.

A total of 24 defendants appeared in the criminal court in Sale to face charges including promoting terrorism, forming a terrorist cell and premeditated murder.

The hearing was adjourned minutes after opening until 16 May, after defence lawyers requested more time to examine the case.

Three main defendants accused of direct involvement, who allegedly pledged allegiance to the Islamic State jihadist group, could face the death penalty.

A Spanish-Swiss convert to Islam – accused of teaching the main suspects how to use encrypted communications and how to fire a gun – is among the suspects.

The murder shocked the North African country, triggering widespread solidarity campaigns with families of the victims.

Outraged Moroccans held a candlelight vigil in front of both Danish and Norwegian embassies in Morocco.

Denmark's Ambassador to Morocco Nikolaj Harris said he received letters from Moroccans who expressed solidarity and support for the families.

"Many people put candles and roses in front of the Danish embassy, and I want to personally express how delighted I am by the various kind of solidarity toward the Danish people during this tough week," he said.

On social media, users changed their profile photos and replaced them with photos of the victims, underneath a message read: "I am, as a Moroccan, very shocked because of this incident. I'm very sorry for what happened in Morocco. I hope the perpetrators will face the punishment they deserve. We don't tolerate this kind of acts. Rest in peace Louisa and Maren."

Other social media users also went to the victims' Facebook profiles and wrote solidarity messages and expressed their outrage at the murder.

Danish social media users expressed their gratitude for the solidarity campaigns. 

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