By Daily Mail (World News) | Created at 2026-08-06 11:25:17 | Updated at 2026-08-06 13:06:18
1 hour ago
The Red Cross has deleted a film tracking the journey of an Afghan migrant who is now accused of killing a British woman and hiding her body in a suitcase in Greece.
Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, was arrested on Monday over the murder of Scottish Christian Elisabeth-Jane Ross, in Athens.
Ahmadzai, a professional boxer who arrived in Greece on a small boat in 2016, is accused of killing Ms Ross before stuffing her body into a suitcase and ditching it in a derelict building.
The 38-year-old's body was found by a homeless man on July 18, three days after she is believed to have been killed.
It has now emerged the Afghan-national collaborated with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and a London artist to create a film following how he escaped Afghanistan and reached the Greek island of Lesbos aged 15.
The four-minute animated film, named Game of Life: The Story of Sharif, was first shown on YouTube in December 2016, and includes a narration of his six-week migrant crossing.
The sympathetic video follows how his father, who was a military commander, was killed in an ambush and his mother and siblings were killed by a suicide bomb attack in Kabul.
Ahmadzai, accompanied by friends, was then smuggled out of Afghanistan's capital and journeyed through Iran and Turkey, before he reached a refugee camp on Lesbos, named Moria.
Sharif Ahmadzai was arrested over the murder of Scottish Christian Elisabeth-Jane Ross, in Greece
The body of Ms Ross was found by a homeless man stuffed in a suitcase in a derelict building in Athens
The interview was conducted in Moria, and took place after Ahmadzai had been in the camp for six months.
The video opens with, 'each migrant has a story worthy of a Hollywood movie'.
Ahmadzai's journey from Afghanistan to Greece is said to have taken one-and-a-half months, with the smuggler quoted as calling it a 'game'.
During which time, Ahmadzai was arrested in Istanbul after his first attempt to cross into Greece, the video described, and was held in prison for three days.
The video also reveals Ahmadzai intended to reach the UK, where he claimed he had family who would look after him should he successfully cross from Greece.
Voiced by an actor, he says: 'She told me: "I can take full responsibility of you, if someone helps get you to the UK." But, if I can't get there, I don't know what will happen to me.'
Scott Craig, a spokesman for the charity, told the Daily Mail: 'Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Elisabeth-Jane Ross at this extremely difficult time.
'The video is no longer publicly accessible. We took this decision out of consideration for Elisabeth's family while the legal proceedings continue.
It has now emerged Ahmadzai collaborated with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IRFC) and a London artist to create a film tracking his journey from Afghanistan to Greece
Ahmadzai, accompanied by friends, was then smuggled out of Afghanistan's capital and journeyed through Iran and Turkey, before reaching Greece
'We cannot comment further while legal proceedings are ongoing.'
Ahmadzai made no comment on charges during a closed court hearing in Athens on Wednesday. He was asked to provide his version of events on what took place on the night of July 15.
The hearing was cut short, lasting around 90 minutes, after Ahmadzai asked for more time and a lawyer.
Greek news outlet Protothema reported that Ahmadzai denied killing Ms Ross in a statement to police on Saturday, rather 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.
Sharif Ahmadzai appeared in court on Wednesday morning where was asked to provide his version of events
The video also reveals Ahmadzai had intended to reach the UK, where he claimed an aunt (pictured as the hand) would look after him should he successfully cross from Greece
'[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 Ms Ross'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 Ms Ross'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,' he said.
'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 converted to Christianity and married US-born Christian Alaina Hall in 2023
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 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 Ms 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 Ms Ross's apartment.
Ahmadzai's wife grew suspicious when it was announced Ms 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 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.
Police sources previously revealed that Ahmadzai – who had converted to Christianity – told his wife that he had argued with Ms Ross because she wanted him to join her 'stricter' Christian group.
Ross had previously volunteered with the One Heart organisation when in Greece
He was arrested shortly after Ms 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.'
Ms 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 Ms 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 Ms Ross was recorded at 9.41pm on July 15, when she called a close friend.
