Moroccan Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani (pictured)on Thursday strongly condemned the "despicable criminal act” of murdering two foreign tourists in central Morocco.

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.

Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting, El Othmani deemed the act as "a stab in the back of Morocco and Moroccans,” while extending his heartfelt condolences to the families of the two victims and their countries.

He said Morocco flatly condemns this appalling crime, which runs counter to the Moroccan values and customs, as well as the traditions of the region where the crime took place.

El Othmani commended the swift arrest of the suspects, adding that details on the crime will be revealed shortly and that the competent authorities will keep the national and international public opinion informed about any development related to this case.

The four suspects participating in the murdering of the tourists were all nabbed on Thursday morning.

The public prosecutor at the Rabat Appeal Court announced Wednesday that investigations revealed that the first arrested suspect "belongs to an extremist group.”

Agencies