Afghan accused of killing British Christian 'claimed an 'old man' convinced him to remove her body then blackmailed him into stealing her money'

The 26-year-old Afghan man accused of killing Scottish Christian Elisabeth Jane Ross, 38, in Athens before stuffing her body into a suitcase has claimed an 'old man' persuaded him to move the body before blackmailing him into stealing her money.

Sharif Ahmadzai appeared in court on Wednesday morning where he was asked to provide his version of events on what took place on the night of July 15 when Ross is believed to have been killed.

However, the hearing was cut short and lasted around 90 minutes after he asked for more time and a lawyer.

Now, Greek news outlet Protothema has reported that Ahmadzai told police in a statement on Saturday that he did not kill the 38-year-old, claiming he found her dead before panicking and taking a series of unjustified actions.

During the testimony, he said: 'I never did harm to anyone. I want you to understand me and believe me. I was just in a panic.'

He claimed he had visited the house where Elisabeth, who he calls 'Lisa', was staying, and found her lying on the bathroom floor.

'[She] was spitting something like water out of her mouth. I spoke to her two or three times but she didn't respond. I froze. My legs went numb ,' he said.

The 26-year-old claimed he then panicked and left the house, where he encountered an elderly man near a bus stop. He reportedly asked the man what he should do after finding a dead body. 

'[The old man] told me that he worked with hospitals and he knows about them and what I should do is remove it from the house or I will get into trouble. I sat and thought about what he told me for a few hours'

He then admitted that he returned to the apartment the next day and placed Elisabeth's body in a black suitcase, before placing it in the boot of the red Peugeot he was driving.

'I started in the Peugeot, arrived near my house and parked it,' he said, 'I got out of the car, took the suitcase out of the trunk and walked to an abandoned building across from the Panhellenic University. 

'There I found the old man I told you about who gave me the advice. He told me to leave the suitcase with him and he would take care of it.'

Ahmadzai told police he had taken Elisabeth's phone and bank cards.

'In addition to Lisa's cards, I also took her mobile phone. From that, I sent some messages to people close to her to reassure them that she was okay. '

'I don't know what I was thinking. I wasn't thinking clearly. I gave all the money I took out of Lisa's cards to the old man because he was blackmailing me that he would tell everything to the police. 

'As far as I know, this old man's name is Nikos and he frequents the place where I left the suitcase.'

Ahmadzai was brought to the Evelpidon court complex in Athens this morning in a car with blacked out windows.

He was surrounded by four armed police as he emerged from a silver car and led handcuffed into court.

Ahmadzai is due to appear before a Greek prosecutor on Thursday where the charges will be formally put to him. 

In addition to 'intentional homicide' he has also been charged with robbery and weapons offences.

He is expected to be remanded in custody and face trial within the next 18 months.

Ahmadzai reached the island of Lesvos in 2016. He then converted to Christianity and married US-born Christian Alaina Hall in 2023 before they set up a ministry helping refugees in Athens.

The couple are believed to have known Ross, who was also a Christian volunteer, through their work.

They had a key to the flat she was staying in as it was owned by their organisation, Love Every Nation Athens, police sources told the Daily Mail.

Officers started probing Ahmadzai after his wife allegedly reported her husband had been behaving suspiciously on July 30.

She allegedly said she woke to find him missing on the evening of July 15 and checked his shared location which showed him at Ross's apartment. 

Ahmadzai's wife grew suspicious when it was announced Ross's body had been found. She left the family home with their baby and stayed in a hotel.

Ahmadzai gave her the sum of 2,550 euros and a new Apple iPhone 17 Pro but she refused them.

She handed them to police believing they were bought with 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.

Police sources previously revealed that Ahmadzai - who had converted to Christianity - told his wife that he had argued with Ross because she wanted him to join her 'stricter' Christian group. 

He was arrested shortly after Ross's mobile phone - which had been off for days - was suddenly switched on earlier this week with police immediately tracing it to a residence in Athens where he was staying. 

A police source revealed: 'The woman told us that her husband had confided in her that he was angry with the British woman. She was trying to influence him religiously and it became too much for him.' 

Ross, who was from Edinburgh, had been a regular visitor to Greece over the past seven years volunteering with NGOs helping refugees, homeless people and other vulnerable groups. 

 She had previously volunteered with the One Heart organisation when in Greece, which specialises in providing medical support to refugees, particularly those from Afghanistan or Iran.

She arrived in Athens on June 26 and had initially been staying with Greek friends in the Keratsini district, the country's main seaport close to the city.

Police confirmed that she moved to Rethymnou Street in Athens city centre on July 2 and was volunteering with a Christian-based NGO working with refugees and other vulnerable groups.

CCTV footage gathered by police showed the Afghan man arriving by car at Ross's ground-floor flat on the evening of July 16.

At around 10pm, cameras captured him carrying the suitcase along the road on which the abandoned car park is located. 

Thirteen minutes later he is seen walking away from the derelict site without the suitcase.

The last confirmed sign of life from Ross was recorded at 9.41pm on July 15, when she called a close friend.