THE Afghan man arrested over the murder of a British woman in Athens is a champion boxer who ran a refugee charity in the Greek capital.
Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, is suspected of killing Elisabeth-Jane Ross, 38, before stuffing her body in a suitcase and dumping it in an abandoned building on July 16.
He is also accused of using the Scottish national’s bank cards to withdraw thousands of Euros.
CCTV allegedly showed Ahmadzai leaving the apartment where Elisabeth was staying with a suitcase and dumping it where her remains were found, the Daily Mail reports.
Ahmadzai arrived in Lesvos in 2016, and later married US-born Alaina Hall in 2023.
The couple set up a ministry to help refugees in Athens and are believed to have known Elisabeth through their work.
They also had a key to the flat she was staying in – which was owned by their organisation, Love Every Nation Athens.
Ahmadzai’s wife allegedly reported her husband to cops after she became suspicious he was involved in Elisabeth’s death.
She said she woke up on the evening of July 15 to find him missing, but when she checked his shared location it showed him at Elisabeth’s apartment.
Ahmadzai had also given her 2,550 Euros (£2,200) and a new iPhone 17 Pro, which she believed was bought using money stolen from Elisabeth’s bank accounts.
A Greek police source told The Times: “The testimony of the wife has been crucial and it would appear that she did not want to be part of the crime committed by her husband.
“Without her and CCTV evidence, we would not have been able to find this man.”
Ahmadzai has been charged with murder, robbery and illegal possession of a weapon. He is expected to appear at court in Athens this week.
His website states his father, a military commander in Kabul, was shot dead in a Taliban ambush when he was four.
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Five years later his older brother was kidnapped by the Taliban and when he was 15 the rest of his family was wiped out in a suicide car bomb, the website says.
After travelling to Greece in a small boat, Ahmadzai went on to win the Greek super lightweight boxing title in March 2023.
Elisabeth arrived in the Greek capital on a flight from Edinburgh on June 26.
Police believe she was killed not far from where her body was found in the abandoned building in Kypseli.
Initial medical reports suggest Elisabeth died from asphyxiation, The Times reports, citing a case file.
Her phone was used to send messages and mislead her loved ones until her identity was made public on July 29.
Her dad, a lawyer from Edinburgh, said he received texts for up to two weeks after her death.
Messages sent to family and friends claimed that she needed to take some time for herself and wanted to be alone for a while.
Her aunt, Anne Bangham, described her as a “beautiful loving and kind young lady”.
Elisabeth regularly travelled to Greece to volunteer with NGOs, working with refugee centres including the One Heart organisation in Athens.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said earlier: “Our thoughts are with Elisabeth’s family during this difficult time.
“We are providing consular support and are in contact with the local authorities.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We are aware of the death of a Scottish woman in Athens and are liaising with authorities in Greece.
“Officers are providing support to her family in Scotland.”
