A man accused of killing a Scottish woman and disposing of her body in a suitcase in Athens is due to appear before a Greek court.
The court appearance will come days after harrowing CCTV footage went public, that allegedly recorded the accused murderer of Edinburgh woman Elisabeth Jane Ross as he pushed her body through the streets of the Greek capital of Athens in a suitcase.
Authorities have not publicly confirmed his identity, but it has been widely reported that the man who stands accused of the 38-year-old’s’ murder is Sharif Ahmadzai, 26.
In the chilling video, a man dressed in a black T-shirt, shorts, and carrying a blue rucksack can be seen lugging the large, black case through the city centre. The footage tracks the path of the man, believed to be Ahmadzai, as he slowly made his way towards an abandoned building in Kypseli on July 16.
View 5 ImagesCCTV shows a man wheeling a suitcase through Athens streets(Image: INSTAGRAM)
It was there, in the usually quiet neighbourhood of central Athens, that he allegedly he discarded the corpse of the 38-year-old woman, also known as Lisa, before fleeing the scene. Her body was found two days later, on July 18 by a homeless man, who alerted police of his grim find.
Police said the suspect was detained for questioning after investigators reviewed the surveillance camera footage that had been recorded near the abandoned building.
Authorities are yet to publicly confirm his identity, but local papers have reported his identity as well as that of his wife, US citizen Alaina Hall. Local reports say Hall told police that she suspected her husband’s involvement in the death when she woke up to find he was not in their apartment. She then tracked his phone to where Ms Ross was staying.
View 5 ImagesLisa has been remembered by her friends as a ‘kind soul’ with a ‘beautiful heart'(Image: Facebook)
Police have confirmed that the 26-year-old arrested in connection with the crime was initially detained on illegal weapons possession charges. He is now facing a murder charge as well as allegations that he stole more than 10,000 euro from the victim’s bank accounts using her bank cards, police said.
Greek officials said he has admitted to moving the body, but has denied the murder allegations.
After allegedly murdering Ms Ross, Ahmadzai is accused of sending a series of messages from her phone to her friends and family before switching off the device. Her loved ones became concerned when they continued receiving text messages that appeared uncharacteristic of her writing style.
View 5 ImagesSharif Ahmadzai
In addition to allegedly posing as his murder victim, Ahmadzai is believed to have bought another phone to text Ms Ross’ friends in Athens – including his wife – to cover his tracks. Greek newspapers Proto Thema and Ta Nea reported that in the messages, Ahmadzai purported to be an unnamed jihadist that claimed he had killed the Scot because of her religion.
Ms Ross is believed to have died between five and seven days before she was found, during a heatwave in which temperatures reached 36C.
Greece’s national police the Hellenic Police were able to identify Ms Ross using her fingerprints. Authorities are awaiting the results of tissue analysis to determine whether she died from suffocation, as suggested by a preliminary assessment by the medical examiner.
View 5 ImagesSharif Ahmadzai
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.”
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A Police Scotland spokesperson previously 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.”