An Afghan boxer accused of killing Scottish woman Elisabeth Ross has returned to court in Athens as police continue investigating her death. Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, who has been named locally in connection with the case, faces allegations of homicide with intent, robbery and weapons offences.
Ross, 38, was found in a suitcase at an abandoned building in the Kypseli district of Athens on 18 July, several days after she was reported missing. Greek officials say Ahmadzai admitted moving the body but denied the homicide allegations.
What is Ahmadzai accused of?
Ahmadzai is accused of killing Ross and using her bank cards to withdraw money from her accounts. Police said they believe more than €10,000 (£8,500) was taken.
He was initially detained on illegal weapons possession charges and later faced the more serious homicide with intent allegation, which is equivalent to a murder charge in Scots law. During searches of his home, officers claimed to have recovered and seized a replica pistol and a knife.
On Wednesday, he was assigned a court-appointed lawyer and given time to prepare his defence. He arrived back at court in Athens on Thursday morning in an unmarked grey car and was not pictured.
What do police say happened?
Police said Elisabeth Jane Ross - known to family and friends as Lisa - had arrived in Greece on 26 June and stayed in the Keratsini area of Piraeus until 10 July.
She told Greek friends that she was going to Kypseli to meet "American friends" on 15 July.
Police said the man they arrested had taken her body to the abandoned site in a suitcase, then used her bank cards to withdraw money. They also said they were fast-tracking a toxicology report to identify the cause of death.
Officers said they were looking to trace Ross's American friends. Greek newspapers Proto Thema and Ta Nea reported that Ahmadzai bought a phone and sent messages to Ross's friends in Athens, impersonating an unnamed jihadist and claiming he had killed the Scot because of her religion. Those reports have not been independently confirmed.
After allegedly killing Ross, Ahmadzai is also accused of sending a series of messages from her phone to her friends and family before switching the device off.
What happened when he arrived at court?
Sharif Ahmadzai arrived at the court building in a grey car and was driven in a grey Hyundai i30 with blacked out windows, according to the second source. He was arrested on suspicion of homicide with intent, robbery and weapons offences. He arrived back in court in Athens on Thursday morning in an unmarked grey car and was not pictured.
On Wednesday, he was assigned a court-appointed lawyer and given time to prepare his defence. It is expected he will face formal charges later on Thursday morning.
Who is Sharif Ahmadzai?
The BBC understands Ahmadzai lives in Athens with his American wife and child. He is understood to have left Afghanistan after being orphaned aged 15.
His father, a commander in the Afghan army, was shot and killed and his mother and siblings were killed by a suicide bomber in Kabul.
He travelled to Greece via Iran and Turkey, according to the charity, external The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), before settling in a refugee camp on the island of Lesbos.
It is understood this is where he met his wife and converted to Christianity. The pair then set up the charity Love Every Nation Athens to help other refugees.
It is thought that he met Ross through the charity.
Police said Ross, who was from Edinburgh, had been volunteering with a refugee support group based in Athens. She is believed to have died a number of days before she was found.
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Key Facts
- Elisabeth Jane Ross, 38, was found dead in a suitcase at an abandoned building in Kypseli, Athens, on 18 July.
- Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, from Afghanistan, has been named locally in connection with her death.
- He faces charges of homicide with intent, robbery and weapons offences.
- Police say he admitted moving the body but denied the homicide allegations.
- He was assigned a court-appointed lawyer on Wednesday and returned to court in Athens on Thursday morning.
