Man charged with murdering UK woman found in suitcase

A 36-year-old man was remanded in custody in Greece on Thursday on suspicion of murdering a British woman whose body was found in a suitcase in Athens, the ANA news agency reported.

The suspect, identified by Greek media reports as an Afghan national, was arrested Sunday after the discovery of the 38-year-old victim's body in an abandoned building near the city centre on 18 July.

He has been charged with intentional homicide, theft and illegal possession of a weapon, according to the public television channel ERT, which said he has made no response to the accusations.

A video journalist saw masked police officers take him from the court for custody.

The victim, identified in the Greek and British media as Elisabeth-Jane Ross, originally from Scotland, arrived in Greece on 26 June.

She stayed at the home of a friend in the Piraeus region until 10 July, before heading to an unknown destination on the outskirts of Athens, according to the police.

Officers said Sunday that the suspect had confessed.

But according to the ANA news agency, the man - said to be a boxer who came to Greece in 2016 as an unaccompanied minor - claimed he found her dead in the bathroom of a house where she was staying.

The agency and other media said he made cash withdrawals using the victim's bank cards.

He is also alleged to have sent messages to her family to mislead them and delay the reporting of her disappearance.

A video widely circulated on social media shows a young man in the street pushing a large black suitcase.

Greek media said the suspect had set up an NGO to help migrants.

Investigators reportedly said that the accused's British wife, who met him through humanitarian and religious activities, helped secure his arrest.

She provided the authorities with information that led them to him, according to ANA.