Afghan boxer arrested in connection with death of Scottish woman in Greece

The man suspected of killing Scottish aid worker Elisabeth Jane Ross in Greece is 26-year-old Sharif Ahmadzai, the BBC understands.

He was arrested after the body of the 38-year-old was found in a suitcase in an abandoned building in the Kypseli district of Athens on 18 July, several days after she was reported missing.

Ahmadzai, who was born in Afghanistan and is a champion boxer, settled in Greece after travelling there as a teenage refugee.

He is expected to appear in court in Athens on Wednesday.

The BBC understands Ahmadzai, who left Afghanistan after being orphaned aged 15, lives in Greece with his American wife and child.

His father, a commander in the Afghan army, was shot dead and his mother and siblings were killed by a suicide bomber in Kabul.

He travelled to Greece via Iran and Turkey, according to a video telling his story which was published by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), before settling in a refugee camp on the island of Lesbos.

It is understood this is where he met his wife and converted to Christianity. The pair then set up the charity Love Every Nation Athens to help other refugees.

Police said Elisabeth Jane 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.

Ross told Greek friends that she was going to Kypseli to meet "American friends" on 15 July.

Greece's policing union said Ahmadzai had a key to the apartment Ross was staying in. They also said they have verified footage that appears to show Ahmadzai carrying a suitcase which is believed to contain the body.

They have also said that a location sharing app, used by Ahmadzai's wife, showed that the suspect was at 9 Rethymnou Street – the location where Ross is believed to have died – in the days before.

Police also said the man they arrested had used the dead woman's bank cards to withdraw money.

The building where the body was found is about 20 minutes away from where Ross had been staying.

Flowers have been laid at the scene.

One message reads: "For Elisabeth, May you rest in peace and may your memory live on in the hearts of us all. With deepest sympathy and respect. You will not be forgotten."

In Edinburgh, Pastor Peter Anderson said Ross had been a "precious" member of the congregation at City on a Hill church for 20 years.

He described her as having a "big passion" for missionary work and "cared for people all over the world".

In a video posted on the City on a Hill Facebook page, the pastor said: "She had been to many places and served people. She was a very precious girl and it is a tragic loss."

During searches of Ahmadzai's home, officers claimed to have recovered and seized a replica pistol and a knife.

Police said a toxicology report was being fast-tracked to identify the cause of death.

They said they were also looking to trace Ross's American friends.

-BBC