A 26-year-old Afghan boxer has appeared before a court in Athens after being arrested over the death of Scottish aid worker Elisabeth Jane Ross, whose body was discovered inside a suitcase in an abandoned building last month.
The man accused of killing Scottish aid worker Elisabeth Jane Ross has appeared in court in Athens, where prosecutors are pursuing charges including intentional homicide, robbery and weapons offences.
Sharif Ahmadzai, a 26-year-old Afghan boxer, arrived at the Athens Court of First Instance on Tuesday morning under heavy police escort. The hearing was held behind closed doors and was later postponed until Thursday.
Television footage showed Ahmadzai being transported to court in a grey vehicle with tinted windows before being led inside by officers. He kept his head lowered as police escorted him back to the vehicle after the hearing.
Ross, who was from Edinburgh and was known to family and friends as Lisa, had travelled to Greece on 26 June. Police said she had been staying in the Kerasini area of Piraeus while volunteering with a refugee support organisation based in Athens.
She was reported missing before her body was found inside a suitcase at an abandoned building on 18 July, shocking both local residents and the international aid community.
Investigators initially struggled to determine how she died. However, following further forensic examinations, the coroner concluded that her death was the result of an “obvious criminal act”, with authorities believing she was likely killed by asphyxiation.
Greek police arrested Ahmadzai on suspicion of murder after the investigation gathered evidence linking him to the case. He also faces allegations of robbery and weapons-related offences.
The investigation remains ongoing as prosecutors continue to gather evidence ahead of the next court hearing on Thursday.
Ross’s death has drawn attention in both Greece and Scotland, where family, friends and colleagues have paid tribute to the humanitarian worker, remembering her commitment to supporting vulnerable refugees and displaced people.
