British woman found in suitcase: Greece arrests suspect

Greek police said Sunday they had arrested a 26-year-old suspect in the homicide investigation of a British woman whose body was found inside a suitcase in an abandoned building in Athens.

Police said the victim was a 38-year-old UK national and that her body was found in the Kypseli area on July 18. Media reports identified her as Elisabeth-Jane Ross from Scotland.

Police said the suspect, identified in media reports as an Afghan national, had "confessed his actions". They said a criminal file had been opened against him for intentional homicide, robbery and violation of firearms legislation.

The woman had arrived in Greece on June 26 and stayed at a friend's home in the Piraeus area until July 10, when she left for an unknown destination in the greater Athens area, police said.

Police said the 26-year-old placed the body in a suitcase and took it to the abandoned building. They also said he used the victim's bank cards in the following days to withdraw money.

According to media reports, the suspect said the victim was already dead when he found her.

Police said Interpol authorities in the United States helped identify the victim's fingerprints, and liaison officers from the United Kingdom National Crime Agency and Scotland police cooperated in the investigation. Investigators managed to obtain usable fingerprints despite advanced decomposition and adverse environmental conditions, police said.