An Afghan boxer has been charged with the murder of a Scottish aid worker whose body was found stuffed in a suitcase inside an abandoned building in Athens, Greece. Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, faces charges of homicide with intent, robbery, and weapons offences following the death of Elisabeth Ross, 38, who was from Edinburgh.
According to BBC News, the body of Ross was discovered by a homeless man in a derelict building in the Kypseli area of the Greek capital on July 18. Ahmadzai was remanded in custody after appearing in court in Athens on Thursday morning. He arrived in an unmarked grey car and was escorted out by masked officers who held his head down. He asked for an English translator during the hearing but did not respond to the charges.
A statement from Greece's organised crime directorate said Ahmadzai was brought to a police station on July 30. "In particular, it emerged that the 26-year-old placed the body in a suitcase and transported it to the abandoned site," the statement said. The BBC reports that Ahmadzai denies the murder charge but admits moving the body, claiming he did so because he feared he would be blamed for her death.
Ahmadzai is also accused of stealing more than 10,000 euros from Ross's bank accounts using her bank cards after her death. Greek newspapers Proto Thema and Ta Nea reported that he bought a phone and texted Ross's friends in Athens, impersonating an unnamed jihadist saying he had killed her because of her religion. The newspapers also reported that his wife, a US citizen named Alaina Hall, told police she suspected her husband's involvement when she woke to find he was not in their apartment and tracked his phone to where Ross had been staying.
Ross, known to family and friends as Lisa, had been volunteering with a refugee support group based in Athens. She arrived in Greece on June 26 and had stayed in the Keratsini area of Piraeus until July 10. Greek officials contacted Interpol, and American authorities identified her fingerprints. She is believed to have died a number of days before her body was discovered.
Ahmadzai was initially detained on illegal weapons possession charges before the broader murder investigation developed. He was assigned a court-appointed lawyer on Wednesday and given time to prepare his defence. His trial could be up to 18 months away.
The Destiny Church in Edinburgh, where Ross had been a member, issued a tribute. "Lisa will always be remembered for her unstoppable passion to help those who were less fortunate than herself," it said. "This passion and deep sense of calling sometimes took her to challenging places. Lisa was determined not to leave this world the same way sh" the statement read, before the text was cut off in published reports.
Homicide with intent under Greek law is equivalent to a murder charge in Scots law. The case continues to be handled by Greece's organised crime directorate.
