An Afghan migrant accused of murdering a Scottish woman found dead in a suitcase in Greece dreamed of coming to the UK.
Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, was arrested and charged in connection with the murder of 38-year-old Elisabeth-Jane Ross in Athens on July 15. The Christian charity worker, from Edinburgh, was found dead inside a suitcase in a derelict building.
Cops investigating her death have not confirmed what they believe his motive to have been and are understood to be looking at a number of options – including that she may have rejected his advances.
More details have now been revealed of the professional boxer’s journey to Greece as a refugee in 2016 in a video published a number of years ago by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Ahmadazi, also known as David, is originally from East Afghanistan where his father was a commander in the national army before being killed in an ambush.
And in that video he reveals he had planned to leave Greece and make his was to the UK.
View 6 ImagesElisabeth Jane Ross(Image: cretalive.gr)
Fleeing conflict, his family moved to Kabul. However, on return to the Afghan capital for a hospital appointment, his mother and siblings died in a suicide bombing.
From there he started his journey to seek asylum at the age of 15. Ahmadazi was smuggled into Iran, travelled to the Turkish border and then jailed for three days after attempting to venture to Greece.
After being released, Ahmadazi, who won the vacant Greek Super Light championship in March, was placed on a dinghy by smugglers destined for the Greek shores. Upon arrival, he was housed at a migrant camp on Lesbos.
In the Red Cross video, Ahmadazi, whose words from the camp are being voiced by an actor, says: “I have an aunt in the United Kingdom. She told me, ‘I can take full responsibility of you, if someone helps you get to the UK’. But, if I can’t get there, I don’t know what will happen to me.”
View 6 ImagesSharif Ahmadzai, who is suspected of killing Elisabeth-Jane Ross
George Kalliakmanis, an ex-cop who heads the police union in Athens, told The Sun that police are not ruling anything out in their investigation.
He said: “He went to the flat where she was staying for a reason and it’s not thought that reason is because he wanted to commit robbery and steal her cards.
“What was it? Nothing can be ruled out. Did she reject him? Nothing can be ruled out.”
Earlier today, we reported that Ahmadzi had converted to Christianity and married US citizen Alaina Hall, 28, in 2023. The couple set up a ministry for refugees in Athens – and went on to have a child together.
Her aunt Leanne Hall, brother Thomas, 65 and sister-in-law Susan, 61, said the family always had doubts about Ahmadzai.
View 6 ImagesSharif Ahmadzai and his wife Alaina Hall(Image: Instagram)
They told the Daily Mail: “I’ve never met him, I’ve only heard about him. But I can tell you my brother and sister-in-law never wanted them to get married.”
Chilling CCTV footage showed the horror moment he allegedly drags the suitcase containing the missionary’s body through the streets of Athens. He was later seen on camera without the suitcase.
Ahmadzai, who is due to appear in court tomorrow, also spouted his loathing of Christian aid workers in a string of hate-filled online posts in the weeks before the incident.
He had written a memoir called From Hell to Home about his experiences in camps and shared a page from the book on his social media with a chapter entitled “corrupt NGOs”.
In a Facebook post outlining his views on the subject in May, he wrote: “Shame on corruption dressed like charity. Shame on business wearing the name of Christ.”
Ahmadzai had regularly told his online followers of his disdain for NGOs, repeatedly referring to one experience in a refugee camp in Lesvos, where he furiously slammed charity volunteers and spoke of “karma”.
Ahmadzai and his wife Ms Hall, are believed to have known Ms Ross, who was also a Christian volunteer, through their missionary work. They founded Love Every Nation Athens before finally getting the paperwork to marry on April 29, 2023.
Cops confirmed they had a key to the flat she was staying in as it was owned by their charity. Police launched a probe into the Afghan-national after it is understood his US wife reported her husband’s suspicious behaviour on July 30.
View 6 ImagesSharif Ahmadzai and his wife Alaina Hall
She allegedly woke up and noticed he wasn’t at home on the evening of July 15 and checked his shared location which showed him at Ms Ross’s apartment. Ahmadzai is believed to have informed cops that he found Ms Ross already dead in her bathroom.
He allegedly admitted using her bank cards to withdraw cash and also used her phone to send messages to relatives and friends, pretending to be her.
Ahmadzai’s wife grew even more suspicious when it was announced Ms Ross’s body had been found and left the family home with their baby to stay in a hotel.
View 6 ImagesChilling CCTV footage allegedly shows Sharif Ahmadzai wheeling a black suitcase through Athens(Image: iefimerida.gr)
Ahmadzai gave her €2,550 and a new Apple iPhone 17 Pro but she handed them over to police believing they were bought with Ms Ross’s money.
Detectives raided the family home on August 1 and found a black metal replica Glock-style pistol and a black military-style knife, sources say.
Ms Ross had been a regular visitor to Greece over the past seven years, where she volunteered with NGOs helping refugees, homeless people and other vulnerable groups.
She arrived in Athens on June 26 and the last confirmed sign her alive was recorded at 9.41pm on July 15, when she called a close pal.
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