Greek boxer charged with murder of Scottish aid worker found

A 26-year-old Afghan-born professional boxer appeared before a court in Athens on Wednesday, August 5, charged with the murder of a Scottish charity worker whose body was found in a suitcase last month. The suspect, widely reported to be Sharif Ahmadzai, faces charges of intentional homicide, robbery, and illegal weapons possession in connection with the death of 38-year-old Elisabeth-Jane Ross, also known as Lisa.

Ross, a volunteer aid worker from Edinburgh, was discovered by a homeless man in an abandoned building in the city's Kypseli district on July 18. Preliminary forensic reports indicate she died from asphyxiation, though authorities are awaiting final toxicology and tissue analysis results. She is believed to have been killed between five and seven days before her body was found.

The investigation accelerated after closed-circuit television footage from July 16 allegedly showed a man, identified by police as Ahmadzai, carrying a large black suitcase from Ross's apartment to the derelict building in Kypseli. He was seen walking away without the suitcase approximately 13 minutes later. Ross's last confirmed contact was a phone call to a friend at 9:41 p.m. on July 15.