A 26-year-old man accused of killing Scottish woman Elisabeth-Jane Ross and disposing of her body in a suitcase has arrived at a court in Athens for a hearing.
The suspect, who arrived in an unmarked grey Hyundai i30 car accompanied by police officers, faces charges of murder and theft. Ross, 38, was found dead in a derelict building in the Kypseli area of the Greek capital on July 18.
Court appearance and charges
The hearing, held at the court on Evelpidon Street, just minutes from where Ross's body was discovered, is understood to be private. The suspect has been widely reported to be Sharif Ahmadzai, an Afghan boxer who left his country after being orphaned as a teenager, though authorities have not publicly confirmed his identity.
Police said the suspect was initially detained on illegal weapons possession charges and is also accused of stealing more than 10,000 euro from Ross's bank accounts using her bank cards. Greek officials stated he admitted moving the body but denied the murder allegations.
Investigation details
The suspect was detained after investigators reviewed surveillance camera footage from near the abandoned building. After the alleged murder, Ahmadzai is accused of sending messages from Ross's phone to her friends and family before switching it off, then buying another phone and texting her friends, including his wife, impersonating a jihadist and claiming he killed her because of her religion, according to Greek newspapers Proto Thema and Ta Nea.
His wife, Alaina Hall, a US citizen, reportedly told police she suspected his involvement when she found he was not in their apartment and tracked his phone to where Ross was staying.
Victim's background
Ross, believed to be from Edinburgh, entered Greece on June 26 and initially stayed with friends in Piraeus. She then planned to meet American friends in another part of Athens, though it is unclear if that meeting occurred. She is believed to have died between five and seven days before being found, during a heatwave with temperatures reaching 36C.
Authorities identified her through fingerprints and are awaiting tissue analysis to determine if she died from suffocation, as a preliminary assessment suggested.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "Our thoughts are with Elisabeth's family during this difficult time. We are providing consular support and are in contact with the local authorities."
A Police Scotland spokesperson previously said: "We are aware of the death of a Scottish woman in Athens and are liaising with authorities in Greece. Officers are providing support to her family in Scotland."
