A champion boxer who built a new life in Greece after fleeing Afghanistan has been arrested in connection with the death of Scottish charity worker Elisabeth-Jane Ross, whose body was discovered inside a suitcase in an abandoned building in Athens. Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, is expected to appear before an investigating magistrate after Greek authorities accused him of intentional homicide, robbery and weapons offences in a case that has shocked both Greece and the UK.Ross, 38, had travelled to Greece in late June and was reported missing before her body was found in the Kypseli district on July 18. Investigators say the boxer, who was involved in refugee charity work, became a key suspect after surveillance footage and financial evidence linked him to the crime.
Champion boxer Sharif Ahmadzai arrested in chilling suitcase death case involving Scottish woman in Greece
Greek police allege Ahmadzai transported Ross’s body in a suitcase before abandoning it in a derelict building roughly 20 minutes from where she had been staying. The Scottish charity worker, known to family and friends as Lisa, had told acquaintances she planned to meet “American friends” on July 15. Days later, her body was discovered by a homeless man.Ross had deep ties to Greece’s charity community and was remembered with heartfelt tributes after her death. Flowers left near the abandoned building carried emotional messages, including: “For Elisabeth, May you rest in peace and may your memory live on in the hearts of us all. With deepest sympathy and respect. You will not be forgotten.” Friends also described her as “an angel full of innocence and goodness” who devoted herself to helping others.
What led to Sharif Ahmadzai’s arrest?
Police officials say the investigation gathered momentum after Ross’s bank cards were allegedly used to withdraw cash from multiple ATMs. CCTV footage reportedly captured the suspect making those transactions, providing detectives with a crucial breakthrough after forensic evidence from the suitcase yielded few immediate answers.Police also examined misleading text messages sent from Ross’s mobile phone after investigators believed she had already died. Those messages suggested she needed “to be alone,” delaying concerns over her disappearance while detectives pieced together her final movements across Athens (per The Guardian).The investigation was further strengthened by testimony from Ahmadzai’s wife, Alaina Hall, who reportedly became suspicious of his behaviour and alerted police. A Greek police source told The Times: “The testimony of the wife has been crucial. Without her and CCTV evidence, we would not have been able to find this man.”
What police say about the crime?
Although investigators say Ahmadzai admitted moving Ross’s body and using her credit cards, police maintain he continues to deny killing her. George Kalliakmanis, honorary president of the police officers’ association in Athens, said: “He has admitted to carrying her body 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.”Investigators are still working to establish Ross’s exact cause of death, with toxicology and tissue analysis being fast-tracked after an initial postmortem proved inconclusive because of advanced decomposition. Greek authorities, working alongside Police Scotland and the UK’s National Crime Agency, are now focused on determining what happened during Ross’s final hours and whether a clear motive can be established as the case moves through the courts.
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