An Afghan boxer living in Athens has been charged with the murder of a British woman, amid allegations that he posed as a jihadist to mislead her friends and family. Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, stands accused of killing Elisabeth-Jane Ross, 38, and subsequently sending messages from her phone, as well as a separate burner phone, impersonating a jihadist who claimed to have killed Ross because of her Christian faith.
According to Greek police, Ahmadzai allegedly disposed of Ross’s body inside a suitcase, which was found in a derelict building in Kypseli, a neighborhood near where the victim’s remains were discovered on July 18. CCTV footage reportedly shows a man matching Ahmadzai’s description wheeling a large suitcase in the area. Authorities also allege Ahmadzai stole Ross’s bank cards and withdrew thousands of euros from her accounts.
The case took a turn when Alaina Hall, Ahmadzai’s wife, alerted police to suspicious activity. Hall, a U.S. national from Georgia, had worked alongside Ross and Ahmadzai running an NGO called Love Every Nation, which supports refugees in Athens. She reportedly grew concerned after waking up on July 16 to find Ahmadzai absent from their home, later tracing his location to Ross’s accommodation via a tracking app. Hall provided police with information suggesting Ahmadzai had given her money and a new iPhone 17 Pro, believed to have been purchased using funds stolen from Ross’s accounts.
Family members of Hall have expressed distrust toward Ahmadzai, with her aunt stating that Hall’s parents were opposed to the marriage. The couple met in 2016 at the Moria migrant camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, where Hall was volunteering and Ahmadzai was residing after fleeing Afghanistan. Ahmadzai’s family background includes significant trauma: his father, a military commander in Kabul, was killed by the Taliban, along with other close family members in subsequent attacks. Ahmadzai converted to Christianity in 2017, and he and Hall married in April 2023. Together, they had a son born in April 2026.
Ahmadzai is also notable for his boxing career in Greece, having won a super-lightweight title in March and conducting boxing classes to support their NGO’s work. Police have charged him not only with murder but also with robbery and illegal possession of a pistol reportedly found at his residence.
Elisabeth-Jane Ross, known as Lisa, had been a dedicated Christian volunteer and member of the City on a Hill church in Edinburgh for 20 years. Pastor Peter Anderson described her life as “all about mission” and lamented her death as a “really tragic loss.” Ross had arrived in Athens on June 26 for voluntary efforts, consistent with her history of regular visits to volunteer with charities in the city.
Ahmadzai is scheduled to appear before a judge in Athens to face the charges amid ongoing investigations into the circumstances surrounding Ross’s death and Ahmadzai’s alleged attempts to mislead authorities and those close to the victim.