An Afghan champion boxer, Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, has been arrested in Greece in connection with the death of Scottish aid worker Elisabeth Jane Ross, 38. Ross, known to friends as Lisa, was found dead in a suitcase in an abandoned building in the Kypseli district of Athens on July 18, several days after she had been reported missing.

Ahmadzai, who settled in Greece as a teenager after being orphaned in Afghanistan, is being investigated on suspicion of homicide with intent, robbery, and weapons offenses. He is expected to appear in court in Athens soon. Police have stated that an initial coroner's report could not determine a cause of death, but subsequent detailed examinations indicated an obvious criminal act, likely asphyxiation.

Both Ross and Ahmadzai had connections to the refugee sector, and Greek police are exploring whether they knew each other through their charitable work. Ross, from Edinburgh, had arrived in Greece on June 26 and was volunteering with a refugee support group in Athens. She had reportedly told Greek friends she was going to meet American friends in Kypseli on July 15, the day she was last seen.

Authorities are investigating whether Ahmadzai had access to the apartment where Ross was staying. CCTV footage reportedly shows a man resembling Ahmadzai wheeling a suitcase through Athens streets, which is believed to be the one containing the body. Additionally, a location-sharing app used by Ahmadzai's wife indicated his presence at an address where Ross is thought to have died in the days prior to her body's discovery.

Further details revealed by police indicate that the suspect allegedly used the deceased woman's bank cards to withdraw money. The abandoned building where Ross's body was discovered is located approximately 20 minutes from her last known accommodation.

Ahmadzai's background includes arriving in Greece via Iran and Turkey after his father, an Afghan army commander, was killed, and his mother and siblings died in a suicide bombing in Kabul. He reportedly settled in a refugee camp on the island of Lesbos, where he met his American wife, Alaina Hall, and their child. The couple later established a charity, Love Every Nation Athens, to assist other refugees.

Ross had been staying in the Kertasini area of Piraeus from June 26 until July 10. Her last known communication indicated she was heading to Kypseli to meet friends on July 15.

The investigation is ongoing as police work to piece together the timeline of events leading up to Ross's death and the circumstances surrounding her relationship with Ahmadzai.