- A man accused of killing a Scottish aid worker in Athens and hiding her body in a suitcase has been jailed pending his trial for murder.
- The 26-year-old Afghan suspect appeared before an investigative magistrate at a central Athens courthouse, escorted by police officers wearing face coverings.
- After a nearly three-hour hearing, he was ordered jailed pending trial on murder charges connected to the death of the 38-year-old woman, whose decomposing body was found inside a suitcase in the downtown Kypseli district.
- Police initially detained the suspect after examining nearby security footage; he was originally held on weapons charges and is now also charged with premeditated homicide and for allegedly stealing over 10,000 euros ($11,500) from the victim’s accounts.
- Suspect's lawyer confirmed he did not speak or submit a plea; another hearing set for a future date.
- Greek data protection laws bar authorities from naming criminal suspects without consent, but officials have confirmed that he is a migrant from Afghanistan.
- Migration Minister Thanos Plevris said the suspect entered Greece in 2016 as an unaccompanied minor and was granted international protection status in 2018, having no criminal past.
A 26-year-old Afghan man, Sharif Ahmadzai, has been jailed pending trial for the murder of Scottish aid worker Elisabeth Jane Ross. Ross's decomposing body was discovered in a suitcase in Athens' Kypseli district on July 18, during a heat wave.3
The suspect, who entered Greece in 2016 as an unaccompanied minor, was granted international protection status in 2018 and had no prior criminal record. Authorities are awaiting tissue analysis results to confirm if suffocation caused her death. Ahmadzai was initially detained on weapons charges but now faces charges of premeditated homicide and theft of over €10,000 ($11,500) from Ross's accounts.45
During a nearly three-hour hearing, Ahmadzai did not speak or submit a plea. Police identified him after reviewing security footage from the area where the body was found. Following the alleged murder, he reportedly sent messages from Ross's phone to her friends and family before switching off the device. Ms. Ross is believed to have died between five and seven days before her body was discovered. The judge ordered Ahmadzai to remain in pre-trial detention while further evidence is compiled, with another hearing scheduled for a future date.
“The 26-year-old Afghan suspect, widely reported to be Sharif Ahmadzai, appeared before a magistrate Thursday and did not speak or submit a plea. He faces charges of premeditated homicide and stealing over €10,000 from the victim's accounts.”
