Man appears in Athens court over killing of Scottish charity worker
A man accused of killing a Scottish charity worker before putting her body in a suitcase and wheeling it through Athens has appeared at a court in the Greek capital.
Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, is widely reported to be the individual who is suspected of killing Elisabeth-Jane Ross, 38.
Her body was discovered by a homeless man in a derelict building in the Kypseli area of the city on July 18 – just a few minutes’ walk from the court where today’s hearing took place in private.
The suspect arrived this morning alongside police officers and was escorted back out again around an hour later, ahead of a further hearing expected to take place on Thursday.
He was initially detained on charges of possessing illegal weapons, but now faces a murder charge and allegations he stole more than €10,000 from the victim’s bank accounts using her cards.
Ahmadzai, an Afghan boxer, is alleged to have told police during an interrogation that Ms Ross was dead when he found her and he put her body in a suitcase so he could steal the money without drawing attention.
He is then said to have bought a burner phone and sent messages to his wife, friends of Elisabeth and himself in an effort to cover his tracks.
According to Greek newspapers Proto Thema and Ta Nea, he is thought to have impersonated a jihadist in the texts, saying he killed Ms Ross because of her religion.
The newspapers said Ahmadzai’s wife, a US citizen named Alaina Hall, had told police she suspected he was involved in the murder when she woke up to find he was not in their apartment.
She is then said to have tracked his phone to the place where Ms Ross was staying.
Ms Ross is thought to have died between five and seven days before she was found, during a heatwave in which temperatures have reached 36°C, and she was identified using her fingerprints.
Known as Lisa, she was a volunteer at local NGOs and would regularly visit Athens where she could be seen talking to homeless people in the rundown parts of the city.
Greek officials said the suspect admitted moving the body but denied the allegation of murder.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said earlier: ‘Our thoughts are with Elisabeth’s family during this difficult time.
‘We are providing consular support and are in contact with the local authorities.’
Politics Editor
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