An Afghan boxer has been charged with killing Scottish aid worker Elisabeth Ross in Greece.

Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, has been charged with homicide with intent, alongside robbery and weapons offences.

The body of Ross, who was 38, was discovered in a suitcase by a homeless man in a derelict building in the Kypseli area of the Greek capital on 18 July.

Ahmadzai was remanded in custody until his trial, which could take up to 18 months. During the hearing he asked for an English translator but did not respond to the charges.

Ahmadzai arrived in court in Athens on Thursday morning in an unmarked Grey car. He was escorted out with masked officers holding his head down.

On Wednesday, he was assigned a court-appointed lawyer and given time to prepare his 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.

Homicide with intent is equivalent to a murder charge in Scots law.

A statement from the police’s organised crime directorate said Ahmadzai was brought to a police station on 30 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

She arrived in Greece on 26 June and stayed in the Keratsini area of Piraeus until 10 July.

Ross is believed to have died a number of days before she was found.

Greek officials contacted Interpol and American authorities were able to identify her fingerprints.

The investigation was carried out by Greece’s organised crime directorate.

A statement from the Destiny Church in Edinburgh, where Ross had been a member, paid tribute to her.

“Lisa will always be remembered for her unstoppable passion to help those who were less fortunate than herself,” it said.

“This passion and deep sense of calling sometimes took her to challenging places. Lisa was determined not to leave this world the same way she found it.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to Lisa’s whole family at this time who will be heart broken at the loss of such a beautiful daughter and sister.