Boxer, 26, arrested in connection with death of Scottish woman in Greece
Sharif Ahmadzai, from Afghanistan, is expected to appear in court in Athens on Wednesday.
A 26-year-old boxer, Sharif Ahmadzai, has been apprehended in connection with the demise of a Scottish woman in Greece. Ahmadzai, originally from Afghanistan, is slated to appear in an Athens court on Wednesday.
The body of 38-year-old Elisabeth Jane Ross was discovered on July 18 in a suitcase within a deserted building in Athens' Kypseli district. Her disappearance had been reported several days prior.
Ahmadzai, a champion boxer, arrived in Greece as a refugee. He reportedly resides in Athens with his American wife and child. Orphaned at 15, his father, an Afghan army commander, was fatally shot, and his mother and siblings were killed by a suicide bomber in Kabul. He journeyed to Greece through Iran and Turkey, as per the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), before settling in a refugee camp on Lesbos.
It is believed he met his wife and converted to Christianity there. The couple subsequently established the charity Love Every Nation Athens to assist other refugees, and it is thought he met Ross through this organization.
Police stated that Elisabeth Jane Ross, known as Lisa, arrived in Greece on June 26 and stayed in the Kertasini area of Piraeus until July 10. She informed Greek acquaintances that she was going to Kypseli on July 15 to meet "American friends."
Authorities allege that the arrested man transported her body to the abandoned location in a suitcase and subsequently used her bank cards to withdraw funds. During a search of his residence, officers reportedly found and confiscated a replica pistol and a knife. Police are expediting a toxicology report to determine the cause of death and are also seeking to locate Ross's American friends.