ATHENS — The man accused of killing a Scottish aid worker and disposing of her body in a suitcase has appeared in a court in Athens.
The 26-year-old is accused of killing Elisabeth-Jane Ross, 38, who was discovered by a homeless man in a derelict building in the Kypseli area of the Greek capital on July 18, days after she had been reported missing.
Sharif Ahmadzai, who is of Afghan origin, arrived at the Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Athens Court of First Instance for a hearing on Wednesday morning in an unmarked car, alongside a number of police officers.
He had been arrested on suspicion of homicide with intent, robbery and weapons offenses. The case has been deferred until Thursday.
The authorities have not publicly confirmed his identity.
He was was initially detained on illegal weapons possession charges, and is facing a murder charge as well as allegations that he stole more than 10,000 euro from the victim’s bank accounts using her bank cards, police said.
Greek officials said he admitted moving the body, but denied the murder allegations.
Ahmadzai, who was born in Afghanistan and is a champion boxer, settled in Greece after travelling there as a teenager.
Both Ross and Ahmadzai had worked with refugees and Greek police are investigating whether the pair knew each other through the charity sector.
Ahmadzai was escorted from the court more than an hour later by police officers with their faces covered. He kept his head down as he walked from the building back to the car.
Police said Ross, who is from Edinburgh and is known to family and friends as Lisa, arrived in Greece on 26 June and stayed in the Kertasini area of Piraeus until 10 July.
She had been volunteering with a refugee support group based in Athens.
Police said the coroner’s initial report failed to determine a cause of death, but more detailed examinations concluded it was an “obvious criminal act, likely asphyxiation”.
Source: Saudi Gazette