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The family of a British woman found dead in a suitcase in Athens after allegedly being killed by an Afghan migrant has spoken out for the first time.

Sharif Ahmadzai, a boxer from Afghanistan, is being held in connection with the death of Elisabeth Jane Ross after he refused to enter a plea on Thursday.

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 - days later her body was discovered.

In a statement, her family said: 'Lisa will always be remembered by us as kind, principled and selfless.

'Her integrity was absolute, and she dedicated her life to helping others in need.

'We are in deep pain, and we ask for time and privacy as we come to terms with our loss.'

The family of Elisabeth Jane Ross, a British woman found dead in a suitcase in Athens after allegedly being killed by an Afghan migrant, has spoken out for the first time

Sharif Ahmadzai, a boxer from Afghanistan, is being held in connection with the death of Elisabeth Jane Ross, after he refused to enter a plea on Thursday

Ahmadzai, 26, is accused of manslaughter, robbery and illegal gun possession and exercised his right to silence and did not respond to the charges as toxicological test results are still pending, according to a legal source.

His American wife has given an emotional testimony, describing how she had a realisation that Elisabeth, also known as Lisa, could be dead.

US-born Christian Alaina Hall told police that she had met Elisabeth through volunteer work in Athens and had last seen her on July 12, after a Bible study meeting, Greek news outlet Protothema reports.

Days later, she heard news that a body had been found stuffed in a suitcase in a derelict building in Athens.

Later that night, Alaina recalled waking up with a 'terrible' feeling.

The following morning, she sent a message to Elisabeth and received two replies, which raised her suspicions.

'These messages were not in Lisa's style, both in terms of her level of English and the use of emojis that she never used.'

Alaina added that she tried to call Elisabeth but never received a response.

In her testimony, Alaina also told police she grew suspicious of her husband after she woke to find him missing on the evening of July 15, and, after checking his shared location, she saw that he was at Elisabeth's flat.

When she confronted him, he told her that he was out watching a football match, but had gone to Elisabeth's apartment to use the toilet.

'I don't know what to tell you, but all of the above made me feel strange. Especially combining the dates, the messages and my husband's behaviour, I have various thoughts that make me feel uncomfortable,' she told police.

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

Detectives found CCTV footage which allegedly shows him leaving the apartment where Elisabeth was staying with a suitcase and dropping it where her remains were found on July 16.

Earlier this week, Protothema 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.'

Ahmadzai is suspected of killing Ms Ross (pictured) before putting her body in a bag and dumping it in a derelict building

This is the moment the Afghan professional boxer walks through the streets of Athens carrying a suitcase allegedly containing the body of Briton Elisabeth-Jane Ross

He claimed he had visited the house where Elisabeth 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.

Ahmadzai pictured with his American wife Alaina Hall. Her testimony has been revealed for the first time

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

He appeared in court on Wednesday, where he denied killing Ross but claimed that an 'old man' had persuaded him to move the body.

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

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.