A 26-year-old man accused of killing a Scottish woman and disposing of her body in a suitcase has appeared in a court in Athens. The suspect, who arrived at the court on Wednesday morning in an unmarked grey Hyundai i30 car accompanied by police officers, faces charges of murder and theft in connection with the death of Elisabeth-Jane Ross, 38.
Discovery and Arrest
Ms Ross's body was discovered by a homeless man in a derelict building in the Kypseli area of the Greek capital on July 18. Police said the suspect was detained for questioning after investigators reviewed surveillance camera footage recorded near the abandoned building. He was initially held on illegal weapons possession charges and is also accused of stealing more than 10,000 euro from the victim's bank accounts using her bank cards.
The court hearing took place in private, and the suspect left about an hour later in the same car. He is expected to appear again for a further hearing on Thursday. The court is located on Evelpidon Street, just a few minutes' walk from where the body was found.
Suspect Identity and Allegations
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. Greek officials said he admitted moving the body but denied the murder allegations.
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.
Investigation and Background
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. 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 identified her using fingerprints.
Ms Ross, understood to be from Edinburgh, entered Greece on June 26 and was initially staying 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 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.”
