Suspect in killing of Edinburgh aid worker to appear in court in Athens

The body of Elisabeth-Jane Ross, 38, was discovered inside a suitcase by a homeless man in a derelict building in the Kypseli area of the city on July 18.

A man widely reported to be Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, an Afghan boxer who left Afghanistan after being orphaned as a teenager, has been arrested in connection with her death. He is due to appear in court on Wednesday.

It was reported both Ms Ross and Ahmadzai had worked with refugees and Greek police are investigating whether the pair knew each other through the charity sector.

It comes as tributes continued to be paid to Ms Ross, who was also known as Lisa, by members of Destiny Church, Edinburgh.

A tribute from the parish’s senior pastors, Andrew and Sue Owen, said: “Lisa will always be remembered for her unstoppable passion to help those who were less fortunate than herself.

“This passion and deep sense of calling sometimes took her to challenging places.

“Lisa was determined not to leave this world the same way she found it.”

They said their thoughts and prayers were with Ms Ross’s family, who had lost a beautiful daughter and sister.

Ms Ross had also been a member of City on a Hill church, in Edinburgh, for 20 years.

Peter Anderson, a pastor, previously said she was a “precious” member of the congregation.

“It’s been a really tough week for our church,” Mr Anderson said in a video posted on the City on a Hill’s Facebook page.

“We have lost a precious church member, Lisa. She was a member of our church for 20 years, and a very, very precious girl, and it’s a real tragic loss.”

He described her as having a “big passion” for missionary work.

“Lisa’s life was actually all about mission,” Mr Anderson said. “She served people and she cared for people all over the world.”

Ms Ross is believed to have died between five and seven days before she was found, though someone was reportedly using her mobile phone to send messages purporting to be from Ms Ross.

The Hellenic Police, Greece’s national force, were able to identify her using fingerprints.

Ms Ross, who is understood to be from Edinburgh, entered Greece on June 26 and was initially staying with friends in Piraeus.

She is then said to have gone to meet American friends in another part of the Greek capital, but it is unclear if this ever happened.

The Hellenic Police said they analysed video footage to identify the suspect, who they allege confessed on Thursday.

The 26-year-old is alleged to have put her body into a suitcase, taking it to the abandoned site where it was found.

In the following days he is said to have used her bank card to withdraw money.

A replica pistol and a knife were said to have been found at the suspect’s home and police have filed a case against him for manslaughter, robbery and violation of weapons laws.

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 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.”