A man accused of killing a Scottish woman and disposing of her body in a suitcase in Athens is due to appear before a Greek court.
The court appearance comes days after harrowing CCTV footage went public, allegedly recording the accused murderer of Edinburgh woman Elisabeth Jane Ross as he pushed her body through the streets of the Greek capital in a suitcase.
Suspect identified as Afghan boxer
Authorities have not publicly confirmed his identity, but it has been widely reported that the man accused of the 38-year-old's murder is Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, originally from Afghanistan.
In the chilling video, a man dressed in a black T-shirt, shorts, and carrying a blue rucksack can be seen lugging a large black case through the city centre. The footage tracks the man, believed to be Ahmadzai, as he slowly made his way towards an abandoned building in Kypseli on July 16.
Body found by homeless man
It is alleged that he abandoned the body of Ms Ross, also known as Lisa, there before leaving the area. Her remains were discovered two days later, on July 18, by a homeless man who contacted police.
Officers said the suspect was taken in for questioning after investigators examined surveillance footage near the abandoned building.
Charges and allegations
Police confirmed the 26-year-old arrested was initially detained on illegal weapons possession charges. He now faces a murder charge as well as allegations that he stole more than 10,000 euro from the victim's bank accounts using her bank cards.
Greek officials said he has admitted to moving the body but denied the murder allegations.
Messages sent to friends and family
After allegedly murdering Ms Ross, Ahmadzai is accused of sending messages from her phone to her friends and family before switching off the device. Her loved ones became concerned when they received text messages that appeared uncharacteristic of her writing style.
In addition to allegedly posing as his victim, Ahmadzai is believed to have bought another phone to text Ms Ross' friends in Athens - including his wife - to cover his tracks. Greek newspapers Proto Thema and Ta Nea reported that in the messages, Ahmadzai purported to be an unnamed jihadist who claimed he had killed the Scot because of her religion.
Investigation details
Ms Ross is believed to have died between five and seven days before she was found, during a heatwave in which temperatures reached 36C.
Greece's national police, the Hellenic Police, identified Ms Ross using her fingerprints. Authorities are awaiting tissue analysis results to determine whether she died from suffocation, as suggested by a preliminary assessment by the medical examiner.
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 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.”
