CCTV ‘shows man allegedly wheeling suitcase’ before Scots woman found dead in Athens
WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT: Security tapes have traced Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, on his route as he allegedly lugged a suitcase through the Greek capital of Athens to dispose of the body of a woman he allegedly killed, police say
Chilling CCTV footage allegedly shows Sharif Ahmadzai wheeling a black suitcase through Athens(Image: iefimerida.gr)
Distressing CCTV footage has captured the moment the man arrested over the death of a Scottish woman is allegedly seen wheeling a suitcase containing her remains through the streets of Greece.
The eerie video reportedly shows Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, hauling the large, black case through the heart of Athens. Dressed in a black T-shirt and shorts and carrying a blue rucksack, Ahmadzai is alleged to have dumped the bag in an abandoned building in Kypseli before making his escape.
The terrifying clip appears to track Ahmadzai’s movements on July 16, two days before Elisabeth Jane Ross’ body was discovered by a homeless man.
Elisabeth, also known as Lisa, 38, from Edinburgh was found dead inside a suitcase by a homeless man in an abandoned building in the district of Kypseli on Saturday, July 18.
Ahmadzai has since been arrested and charged in connection with Lisa’s death. Reports from local media suggest that he faces charges of intentional homicide, robbery and weapons offences, reports the Daily Record.
Lisa Jane Ross(Image: Facebook)
He reportedly confessed to transporting Lisa’s body in the suitcase to police 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, and later married US-born Alaina Hall in 2023.
Elisabeth, a passionate volunteer who often travelled to Greece to help refugees, was found dead in a suitcase(Image: Facebook)
The couple established a ministry to assist refugees in Athens and are believed to have known Elisabeth through their work, according to the Daily Mail. They had a key to the flat she was staying in – which was owned by their organisation, Love Every Nation Athens.
Initial medical reports suggest Elisabeth died from asphyxiation, The Times reports. An autopsy is currently underway with Lisa’s official cause of death unknown until toxicology reports are released.
Investigators determined that Lisa arrived in Greece in late June and stayed at several locations before renting a ground-floor apartment in Exarchia. The Daily Mail reports police said the accused had access to her apartment through a set of keys.
Lisa was last known to have contacted a friend three days before she was found dead.
Her loved ones became worried when they continued receiving text messages that seemed uncharacteristic of her writing style.
Ahmadzai is reportedly a professional boxer from Afghanistan who arrived in Greece in 2016
His wife Alaina is understood to have provided crucial evidence to the investigation including a location-sharing application showing her husband at Lisa’s apartment during the night of July 15 and into July 16. After Lisa’s identity became public, she reportedly suspected Ahmadzai’s involvement and left their home with her child.
Alaina is believed to have given the police a mobile phone and €2,550 in cash that she thought might have belonged to the victim. During interrogation, Ahmadzai reportedly claimed he discovered Lisa dead in the flat’s bathroom before putting her body in a suitcase and disposing of it the next night.
However, police allegedly claim he later confessed to using the victim’s mobile phone to impersonate her in messages sent to family and friends, while also withdrawing money using her bank cards. A search of the suspect’s home on 1 August revealed a replica Glock-style pistol and a military-style knife, leading to additional weapons charges.
The body of a Scots woman is believed to be inside the case(Image: iefimerida.gr)
Ahmadzai’s website reveals his father, a military commander in Kabul, was killed in a Taliban ambush when he was four. His older brother was abducted by the Taliban five years later.
The remainder of his family perished in a suicide car bomb when he was 15, according to the website. Ahmadzai journeyed to Greece in a small boat and went on to clinch 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.
