British Woman Found Dead in Athens Suitcase
Afghan boxer Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, faces murder allegations and theft charges after Elisabeth-Jane Ross, 38, discovered deceased.
Callum Smith
Elisabeth-Jane Ross, a 38-year-old British woman, was found dead in a suitcase in Athens.
Sharif Ahmadzai sent messages to his American wife, Alaina Hall, and other friends of Ms. Ross, claiming to be a jihadist who killed her due to her Christian faith. He later denied killing Ms. Ross in police interviews, asserting he found her dead in the bathroom.
Street camera footage identified the suspect, showing a man wheeling a large, dark-colored suitcase near the site where Ms. Ross's body was discovered. CCTV footage shows Ahmadzai arriving at Ms. Ross's flat on July 16 and later carrying a suitcase away from a derelict car park.
Ahmadzai stands accused of stealing Ms. Ross's bank cards and withdrawing thousands of euros; police sources confirm CCTV captured him making cash withdrawals from Ms. Ross's accounts. The suspect is also accused of dispatching messages from Ms. Ross's mobile phone to her friends and relatives after her alleged killing.
Ahmadzai allegedly bought a burner phone and texted Ms. Ross's friends and his wife after switching off her device. Ms. Ross entered Greece on June 26, and her last confirmed sign of life was a phone call to a friend at 9:41 pm on July 15.
Ahmadzai arrived in Greece in 2016 and married Alaina Hall in 2023. The couple ran a pro-migrant NGO, Love Every Nation Athens, and have one child; Ms. Ross had previously volunteered with the One Heart organisation.
Authorities initially detained the suspect on illegal weapons possession charges, finding a replica Glock-style pistol and a military-style knife at his home. They await tissue analysis results to determine the cause of death; a preliminary assessment suggests suffocation, pending the full analysis.
The Foreign Office provides consular support to Ms. Ross's family, stating, "Our thoughts are with Elisabeth’s family during this difficult time. We are providing consular support and are in contact with the local authorities." Police Scotland liaises with Greek authorities and supports the family in Scotland.
We are aware of the death of a Scottish woman in Athens and are liaising with authorities in Greece. Officers are providing support to her family in Scotland.
A Police Scotland spokesman confirmed, "We are aware of the death of a Scottish woman in Athens and are liaising with authorities in Greece. Officers are providing support to her family in Scotland." Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, from Afghanistan, arrived at the Public Prosecutor's Office at the Athens Court of First Instance at about 09:40 local time, driven in a grey Hyundai i30 with blacked out windows.