- Elisabeth Ross' body was found in a suitcase at an abandoned construction site in Athens on July 18.
- The 26-year-old Afghan man accused of killing Ross appeared in court in Greece on Thursday.
- The suspect was arrested on Sunday and remanded in custody on charges of intentional homicide, robbery, and firearms offences on Thursday.
- In his first testimony, the suspect denied intentional homicide, claiming he found Ross dead and panicked.
- Police identified the suspect from CCTV footage showing a man near the site wheeling a large suitcase.
- The suspect trained as a boxer and had some success in the Greek national championships.
- He married his wife, a US citizen, in 2023 and they have one child.
- Police believe someone continued to use Ross' cell phone after her death, sending messages pretending to be from her.
- An initial coroner's report has made no definitive conclusion as to the cause of death, but asphyxiation cannot be ruled out.
- Authorities are investigating whether the suspect knew Ross through their work supporting refugees in Greece.
A 26-year-old Afghan man appeared in a Greek court on Thursday, facing accusations of killing Scottish aid worker Elisabeth Ross, whose body was discovered in a suitcase on July 18. The suspect, who cannot be named under Greek law, denies intentional homicide and claims he found her dead in the bathroom.123
According to George Kalliakmanis, head of the Union of Police Officers of Southeast Attica, police identified the suspect through CCTV footage showing him wheeling a large suitcase near the site. He was arrested on Sunday and charged with intentional homicide, robbery, and firearms offences.5
Kalliakmanis noted that the suspect admitted to using Ross's bank card to withdraw approximately €10,000 ($11,500) after her death. Investigators are also looking into the use of Ross's cell phone after her death, which sent messages pretending to be from her until the body was found.
The suspect's wife reported to police that a location-sharing app indicated her husband was at Ross's apartment on the night of July 15 and early hours of July 16. However, authorities found no evidence implicating her in the crime. An initial coroner's report has not definitively concluded the cause of death, but asphyxiation remains a possibility.9
The suspect, who left Afghanistan at 15 and arrived in Greece in 2016, and his wife founded an NGO supporting refugees in 2023. Police Scotland is assisting with the investigation and providing support to Ross's family in Scotland.10
“The suspect, who cannot be named under Greek law, was remanded on charges including robbery and firearms offences. Police identified him from CCTV footage showing a man wheeling a large suitcase near the site, and he admitted to using Ross' bank card to withdraw around 10,000 euros ($11,500).”
