Sharif David Ahmadzai, a 26-year-old boxer and former Afghan refugee, has been charged in connection with the murder of Elisabeth Jane Ross, a 38-year-old missionary from Edinburgh. Her body was discovered stuffed in a suitcase in Greece last month. Ahmadzai’s social media posts reveal a deep hatred for Christian aid workers.
Online rants and chilling CCTV
His social media tirades emerged as CCTV footage allegedly shows Ahmadzai dragging a suitcase containing Ross’s body through the streets of Athens. The alleged killer ran his own religious refugee charity in Athens and is believed to have connected with Elisabeth, known as Lisa, through his work.
In a Facebook post from May, he wrote: “Shame on corruption dressed like charity. Shame on business wearing the name of Christ.” He also shared a page from his memoir, “From Hell to Home,” with a chapter titled “corrupt NGOs.”
Rants against NGOs
Ahmadzai frequently expressed disdain for NGOs, particularly recalling an experience in a refugee camp on Lesvos. He wrote: “On Lesvos, the island of broken arrivals, you will see them. Smiles painted on, words dipped in honey: ‘How can we help you?’ But do not be fooled. Not every helper carries hope. Many carry pockets to be filled, reputations to be built, stories to be sold. They call themselves NGOs, but too often they are merchants trading human pain for donations, chasing volunteers like trophies, turning compassion into a business.”
He continued: “When money does not come, they knock on church doors. They wrap themselves in scripture, whisper of Christ, speak of missions and salvation. But behind the holy curtain, the coins fall not to the hungry, not to the homeless, but to private hands. Guard your heart. Guard your mind. Remember: not every open hand is honest, not every gentle word is true. Some wear the mask of saviours, but their mission is survival of their own comfort. And in this play of charity, the refugee remains the stage, the story, the reason yet never the one who receives the gift.”
Charges and confession
The disturbing video, released on Monday, reportedly shows Ahmadzai lugging a large black case through central Athens. Dressed in a black T-shirt and shorts and carrying a blue rucksack, he allegedly dumped the bag in an abandoned building in Kypseli before fleeing. The clip appears to show his movements on July 16, two days before Elisabeth’s body was found by a homeless man.
Ahmadzai has been arrested and charged. Local media report he faces charges of intentional homicide, robbery, and weapons offences. He reportedly confessed to transporting Elisabeth’s body in the suitcase. George Kalliakmanis, honorary president of the police officers’ association in Athens, told media that Ahmadzai also confessed to withdrawing €10,000 from ATMs using her credit cards, but denied murder.
Background and evidence
Ahmadzai arrived in Lesvos in 2016 as a migrant and married US-born Alaina Hall in 2023. The couple set up a ministry to help refugees in Athens, where they met Elisabeth. Reports suggest they had a key to her flat, which was owned by their organisation, Love Every Nation Athens. Initial medical reports suggest Elisabeth died from asphyxiation, but a post-mortem is being carried out.
Ahmadzai’s wife Alaina is understood to have provided key evidence, including a location-sharing app that placed her husband at Elisabeth’s apartment on the night of July 15 into July 16.
More online rants
In further Facebook posts, Ahmadzai spoke of NGO leaders “wearing the mask of ‘helping’, while the vulnerable paid the cost,” writing: “Karma has a long memory. Truth has a longer one.” He also quoted the Bible, writing: “I am not perfect. But I refuse to bury what I witnessed. This is not hatred. This is not revenge. This is testimony. This is memory. This is truth. And I am not done speaking yet.”
Just a month before Elisabeth’s body was found, he shared images of his book online, saying it was “coming soon.” The book’s back cover read: “In the space of a few years, everything I loved was gone. Alone and carrying more grief than any child should ever know, I began a journey across borders, countries, and continents in search of something I had lost long ago: A PLACE TO BELONG.”
