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 woman, identified as 38-year-old Elisabeth-Jane Ross, also known as Lisa, was found by a homeless man in a derelict building in the Kypseli area of Athens on July 18.
Suspect's identity and charges
The suspect is widely reported to be Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, an Afghan boxer who left his home country after being orphaned as a teenager. The authorities have not publicly confirmed his identity. The 26-year-old, initially detained on illegal weapons possession charges, is now facing a murder charge as well as allegations that he stole more than 10,000 euros from the victim's bank accounts using her bank cards, police said.
Greek officials said he admitted moving the body but denied the murder allegations. Police said the suspect was detained for questioning after investigators reviewed surveillance camera footage recorded near the abandoned building.
Alleged actions after the murder
After allegedly murdering Ms Ross, Ahmadzai is accused of sending a series of messages from her phone to her friends and family before switching off the device. He is then said to have bought another phone and texted her friends in Athens, including his wife, impersonating an unnamed jihadist saying he had killed the Scot because of her religion, Greek newspapers Proto Thema and Ta Nea reported.
The newspapers reported that his wife, a US citizen named Alaina Hall, told police she suspected her husband's involvement in the murder when she woke up to find he was not in their apartment and tracked his phone to where Ms Ross was staying.
Investigation and victim's background
Ms Ross is believed to have died between five and seven days before she was found, during a heatwave in which temperatures reached 36C. The Hellenic Police, Greece's national force, identified her using fingerprints. Ms Ross, understood to be from Edinburgh, entered Greece on June 26 and initially stayed with friends in Piraeus, a port area of Athens. She is then said to have gone to meet American friends in another part of the Greek capital, but it is unclear if this ever happened.
Authorities are awaiting results of tissue analysis to determine whether she died from suffocation, as suggested by a preliminary assessment by the medical examiner.
Official responses
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."
