Sharif Ahmadzai, a 26-year-old Afghan boxer, is back in court in Athens for allegedly killing Scottish aid worker Elisabeth Ross, also known as Lisa. He is accused of homicide with intent, robbery, and weapons offences, including stealing over €10,000 from Ross's bank accounts using her bank cards. The investigation found that Ahmadzai placed Ross's body in a suitcase and transported it to an abandoned site, before sending messages from her phone to her friends and family impersonating a jihadist. This is his second appearance in court, where he will be formally charged later with these serious allegations.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
A 26-year-old Afghan boxer named Sharif Ahmadzai has been arrested and appeared in court in Athens, Greece, over the discovery of 38-year-old Scottish woman Elisabeth Jane Ross's body in a suitcase. Ross was reported missing on July 18, and her body was found several days later in an abandoned building in the Kypseli district of Athens. Ahmadzai, who is from Afghanistan and had traveled to Greece as a refugee, is accused of homicide with intent, as well as robbery and weapons offences. He faces charges related to stealing more than €10,000 (£8,500) from Ross's bank accounts using her bank cards. It is believed that Ahmadzai met Ross through his charity work in Athens, where he lives with his American wife and child. The case was deferred until Thursday, when it is expected that Ahmadzai will be formally charged.
Written for “Afghan Athlete on Trial Murder” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The language used is generally neutral, but some phrases like 'Afghan boxer suspected of killing a Scottish woman' could suggest a slightly left-leaning inclination towards highlighting the suspect's nationality and occupation. However, this signal is relatively weak.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score -0.45 for article 551 · logged 2026-08-06
- Published
An Afghan boxer suspected of killing a Scottish woman in Greece has arrived in court in Athens for a second time.
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boxer → publish → time
Sharif Ahmadzai, who is 26 and from Afghanistan, faces charges of homicide with intent, robbery and weapons offences.
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who → face → intent
He is accused of killing aid worker Elisabeth Ross, 38, who was discovered by a homeless man in a derelict building in the Kypseli area of the Greek capital on July 18.
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who → accuse → July
Ahmadzai arrived back in court in Athens on Thursday morning in an unmarked Grey car.
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Ahmadzai → arrive → car
He was not pictured.
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It is expected he will be formally charged later.
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he → expect → ?
On Wednesday, he was assigned a court-appointed lawyer and given time to prepare his defence.
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he → assign → defence
Ahmadzai was initially detained on illegal weapons possession charges and is facing a charge of homicide with intent, as well as allegations that he stole more than €10,000 (£8,500) from the victim's bank accounts using her bank cards.
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he → detain → cards
A statement from the police's organised crime directorate said Ahmadzai was brought to a police station on 30 July.
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Ahmadzai → organise → July
"In particular, it emerged that the 26-year-old placed the body in a suitcase and transported it to the abandoned site," the statement said.
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statement → emerge → site
After allegedly killing Ross, Ahmadzai is accused of sending a series of messages from her phone to her friends and family before switching off the device.
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Greek newspapers Proto Thema and Ta Nea have reported that he bought a phone and texted Ross's friends in Athens, impersonating an unnamed jihadist saying he had killed the Scot because of her religion.
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he → report → religion
The newspapers reported his wife, a US citizen named Alaina Hall, told the police she suspected her husband's involvement in the killing when she woke up to find he was not in their apartment and tracked his phone to where Ross was staying.
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Ross → report → phone
Police said Ross - who is from Edinburgh and is known to family and friends as Lisa - had been volunteering with a refugee support group based in Athens.
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who → say → Athens
She arrived in Greece on 26 June and stayed in the Keratsini area of Piraeus until 10 July.
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Ross is believed to have died a number of days before she was found.
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she → believe → days
After the body was found, Greek officials contacted Interpol and American authorities were able to identify the fingerprints.
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authorities → find → fingerprints
The investigation was carried out by Greece's Organized Crime Directorate.
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investigation → carry → Directorate
