A 26-year-old man has appeared in an Athens court charged with the murder of Scottish charity worker Elisabeth-Jane Ross, 38, whose body was discovered in a suitcase in an abandoned building in the city's Kypseli district on July 18. The suspect arrived for the hearing on Wednesday morning in an unmarked grey Hyundai i30, accompanied by police officers, and left about an hour later after being assigned a court-appointed solicitor. The hearing was held behind closed doors, and he is due to appear again on Thursday.
Body found by homeless man
Elisabeth-Jane Ross, also known as Lisa, was found by a homeless man in the derelict building. The court on Evelpidon Street is just a short walk from where her body was discovered. The suspect is widely believed to be Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, an Afghan boxer who left his homeland after being orphaned as a teenager, though authorities have not officially confirmed his identity.
Ahmadzai was initially arrested on charges of illegal weapons possession. He now faces a murder charge and accusations that he stole more than 10,000 euros from Ms Ross's bank accounts using her bank cards, according to police. Greek officials have stated that he confessed to moving the body but denied the murder allegations.
Investigation details
Police said the suspect was taken into custody after examining CCTV footage from near the derelict building. After allegedly killing Ms Ross, he is accused of sending messages from her phone to her friends and family before turning the device off. He then reportedly bought another phone and texted her friends in Athens, including his wife, pretending to be an unidentified jihadist claiming he had murdered the Scot due to her faith, according to Greek newspapers Proto Thema and Ta Nea.
His wife, a US citizen named Alaina Hall, reportedly told police she suspected her husband's involvement when she woke to find him absent from their flat and tracked his phone to where Ms Ross was staying. Ms Ross is believed to have died between five and seven days before being found, during a heatwave with temperatures reaching 36C.
Identification and timeline
The Hellenic Police identified Ms Ross using fingerprints. She was believed to be from Edinburgh and had arrived in Greece on June 26, initially staying with friends in Piraeus. She then reportedly went to meet American friends in another part of Athens, but it is unclear if that meeting occurred. Authorities are awaiting tissue analysis results to determine if she died from suffocation, as suggested by a preliminary medical examiner's assessment.
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."
