• [Irish Mirror Icon]
• News
• World News
• Murder

Scottish woman body found in Athens suitcase as CCTV footage emerges of suspect

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT Chilling video reportedly shows Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, tugging a large, black case - which police say contained the woman's body - through the city centre

[CCTV still]

View 3 Images

Chilling CCTV footage allegedly shows Sharif Ahmadzai wheeling a black suitcase through Athens(Image: iefimerida.gr)

Disturbing CCTV footage has emerged showing the moment the man arrested over the death of a Scottish woman allegedly dragged a suitcase containing her remains through the streets of Greece.

The chilling video reportedly captures Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, hauling the large, black case through central Athens. Wearing a black T-shirt and shorts while carrying a blue rucksack, Ahmadzai allegedly abandoned the bag police say contained the body inside of a derelict building in Kypseli before leaving the area.

The distressing clip appears to document Ahmadzai's movements on July 16, two days before Elisabeth Jane Ross' body was discovered by a homeless person.

Elisabeth, also known as Lisa, 38, from Edinburgh was found dead inside a suitcase by a homeless man in a disused building in the Kypseli district on Saturday, July 18.

Ahmadzai has since been arrested and charged in connection with Lisa's death. According to local media reports, he faces charges of intentional homicide, robbery and weapons offences, reports the Daily Record.

[Lisa Jane Ross]

View 3 Images

Lisa Jane Ross(Image: Facebook)

He reportedly admitted to police that he transported Lisa's body in the suitcase but denies murder, according to the Guardian.

George Kalliakmanis, the honorary president of the police officers' association in Athens, told the Guardian: "He has admitted to carrying her body in a trolley 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."

The man, a champion boxer from Afghanistan who ran a refugee charity in the Greek capital, is understood to have arrived in Lesvos in 2016 as a migrant, before going on to marry US-born Alaina Hall in 2023.

The couple established a ministry dedicated to supporting refugees in Athens and are believed to have become acquainted with Elisabeth through their charitable work, the Daily Mail reports. They held a key to the flat she had been staying in a property owned by their organisation, Love Every Nation Athens.

[Ahmadzai topless with boxing medals]

View 3 Images

The man accused of killing Elisabeth Jane Ross

Preliminary medical reports indicate that Elisabeth died from asphyxiation, according to The Times. An autopsy is currently ongoing, with Lisa's official cause of death yet to be confirmed pending the release of toxicology results.

Investigators established that Lisa arrived in Greece in late June and stayed at a number of locations before renting a ground-floor flat in Exarchia. The Daily Mail reports that police stated the accused had access to her apartment via a set of keys.

Lisa was last known to have been in contact with a friend three days before her body was discovered.

Those close to her grew increasingly alarmed when they continued to receive text messages that appeared out of character with her usual writing style.

His wife Alaina is understood to have provided crucial evidence to the investigation, including data from a location-sharing application placing her husband at Lisa's apartment during the night of 15th July and into 16th July. Following the public confirmation of Lisa's identity, she reportedly grew suspicious of Ahmadzai's involvement and fled their home with her child.

Alaina is understood to have handed officers a mobile phone and 2,550 in cash that she believed may have belonged to the victim. During police questioning, Ahmadzai allegedly claimed he discovered Lisa's body in the apartment bathroom before placing her remains in a suitcase and disposing of it the following night.

However, police reportedly allege he later admitted to using the victim's mobile phone to impersonate her in messages sent to her family and friends, while also withdrawing funds using her bank cards. A search of the suspect's property on August 1 uncovered a replica Glock-style pistol and a military-style knife, resulting in additional weapons charges being brought against him.

Ahmadzai's website states his father, a military commander in Kabul, was shot dead in a Taliban ambush when he was four. His older brother was kidnapped by the Taliban five years later.

The remainder of his family perished in a suicide car bombing when he was 15, according to the website. Ahmadzai made his way to Greece by small boat and went on to claim the Greek super lightweight boxing title in March 2023.

He has been referred to the relevant prosecuting authority to face the charges and is reportedly set to appear before magistrates in Athens on Wednesday.

[Irish Mirror Icon]

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Choose Irish Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.