Harrowing CCTV footage has captured the moment the man arrested over the death of a UK woman allegedly wheeled a suitcase containing her remains through the streets of the Greek capital of Athens.
The chilling video reportedly shows Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, lugging the large, black case through the city centre. In the footage, he can be seen walking along while dressed in a black T-shirt and shorts and carrying a blue rucksack. CCTV tracks his path throughout the city as he slowly made his way towards an abandoned building in Kypseli on July 16.
Body Found in Abandoned Building
It was there, in the usually quiet neighbourhood of central Athens, that police allege he discarded the corpse of 38-year-old Elisabeth Jane Ross and the suitcase in an abandoned building before fleeing the scene.
Elisabeth - also known as Lisa - was later discovered on July 18 by a homeless man, who alerted police of his grim find.
Charges and Confession
Ahmadzai has since been arrested and charged in connection with Lisa's death. Reports from local media state that he faces charges of intentional homicide, robbery and weapons offences. He reportedly confessed transporting Lisa's body in the suitcase to cops but denies murder, according to the Guardian.
George Kalliakmanis, the honorary president of the police officers’ association in Athens, told the Guardian: “He has admitted to carrying her body in a trolley to the site. Police have CCTV footage of him doing this on the night of 16 July. He has also confessed to withdrawing €10,000 from ATMs using credit cards that belonged to her. But he has denied murder which police do not believe."
Background of the Suspect
The man, who is a champion boxer from Afghanistan, ran a refugee charity in the Greek capital, is understood to have arrived in Lesvos in 2016 as a migrant, and later married US-born Alaina Hall in 2023.
The couple set up a ministry to help refugees in Athens and are believed to have known Elisabeth through their work. the Daily Mail reports. They had a key to the flat she was staying in – which was owned by their organisation, Love Every Nation Athens.
Investigation and Evidence
Initial medical reports suggest Elisabeth died from asphyxiation, according to The Times. An autopsy is currently underway with Lisa's official cause of death unknown until toxicology reports are released.
Investigators determined that Lisa arrived in Greece in late June and stayed at several locations before renting a ground-floor apartment in Exarchia. The Daily Mail reports cops said the accused had access to her apartment through a set of keys. Lisa was last known to have contacted a friend three days before she was found dead.
Her loved ones became concerned when they continued receiving text messages that appeared uncharacteristic of her writing style.
Wife's Cooperation
His wife Alaina is understood to have provided key evidence to the probe including a location-sharing application showing her husband at Lisa's apartment during the night of July 15 and into July 16. After Lisa's identity became public, she reportedly suspected Ahmadzai involvement and left their home with her child.
Alaina is understood to have handed cops a mobile phone and €2,550 in cash that she believed may have belonged to the victim. During questioning, Ahmadzai allegedly claimed he found Lisa dead in the apartment bathroom before placing her body in a suitcase and disposing of it the following night.
But police reportedly allege he later admitted to using the victim’s mobile phone to impersonate her in messages sent to relatives and friends, while also withdrawing money using her bank cards. A search of the suspect’s home on August 1 uncovered a replica Glock-style pistol and a military-style knife, leading to additional weapons charges.
Suspect's Past
Ahmadzai’s website states his father, a military commander in Kabul, was shot dead in a Taliban ambush when he was four. His older brother was kidnapped by the Taliban five years later.
The rest of his family died in a suicide car bomb when he was 15, the website adds. Ahmadzai travelled to Greece in a small boat and went on to win the Greek super lightweight boxing title in March 2023.
He has been referred to the competent prosecuting authority to face the charges and is reportedly due to appear before magistrates in Athens on Wednesday.
