A 26-year-old Afghan man has appeared in a Greek court charged with the homicide of a Scottish aid worker whose body was found in a suitcase in Athens. Elisabeth-Jane Ross, 38, from Edinburgh, was discovered on July 18 inside a derelict building in the Kypseli district of the Greek capital, several days after she was reported missing.

Sharif Ahmadzai, a professional boxer who was granted asylum in Greece, faces charges including homicide with intent, robbery, and illegal possession of weapons. Authorities allege that he killed Ross and stole more than €10,000 from her bank accounts. Ahmadzai declined to enter a plea during his initial hearing at the Court of First Instance in Athens and chose to remain silent, with his lawyer stating they awaited the submission of medical and toxicology reports before responding to the charges.

Greek police detained Ahmadzai following an investigation that included reviewing CCTV footage and witness testimonies. According to police sources, Ahmadzai admitted to placing Ross’s body in the suitcase and attempting to dispose of it but denies responsibility for her death, claiming he found her already deceased. A postmortem examination was unable to definitively determine the cause of death due to decomposition; however, investigators have not ruled out suffocation, and further tissue analysis is pending.

Ross, known to friends and family as Lisa, was a certified psychotherapist and volunteer aid worker who frequently traveled to Greece to assist with refugee support, especially those from Afghanistan and Iran. She arrived in Athens on June 26 and was reportedly staying with friends in the port area of Piraeus before her disappearance. Her family described her as kind, honest, and selfless and requested privacy as they grieve.

The court ruled that Ahmadzai will remain in pretrial detention while authorities continue to gather evidence. The trial is expected to take place within the next 18 months.

Additional testimony came from Ahmadzai’s wife, Alaina Hall, a US-born NGO worker who co-led an organization with her husband. She reportedly became suspicious after noticing inconsistencies in his movements on the night of July 15, when Ross disappeared, and later connecting those concerns to news reports about the body found in the suitcase.

British authorities, including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Police Scotland, have expressed condolences and are providing support to Ross’s family. The investigation remains ongoing as medical examiners await further test results to clarify the circumstances surrounding her death.