Aimee Betro flew to the UK before she tried to shoot Sikander Ali at point-blank range outside his home in Yardley, Birmingham, on September 7, 2019
Aimee Betro purchasing a mobile phone prior to the shootings(Image: West Midlands Police / SWNS)
A woman from the US who arrived at Manchester Airport with a plan to carry out an assassination in Birmingham has been convicted of conspiracy to murder. Aimee Betro flew into the UK and attempted to shoot Sikander Ali at close range outside his home in Yardley, Birmingham, on 7 September 2019.
The jury at Birmingham Crown Court found the 45 year old guilty of the charge on Tuesday (12 August), as well as possession of a self-loading pistol and fraudulent evasion of the prohibition on importing ammunition.
The jury of six men and six women deliberated for almost 21 hours before returning its verdicts, two of which were by an 11-1 majority.
Betro, who is originally from West Allis in Wisconsin but lived in Armenia until earlier this year, took part in a plot orchestrated by co-conspirators Mohammed Aslam, 56, and his son Mohammed Nabil Nazir, 31, to attack a rival family.
Dressed in a black cardigan and with her hair styled in space buns, she showed no visible emotion in the dock when the verdicts were announced by the foreman of the jury. Don’t miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here
Adjourning sentence until August 21, Judge Simon Drew KC told the court: “I suspect Miss Betro would like to know the outcome of this case and there is nothing worse than sitting waiting.”
Prosecution counsel Tom Walkling KC told the trial that she met Nazir, who lived in Derby, on a dating app.
Police have said that there is no evidence that Betro, who was extradited from Armenia earlier this year, was paid to take part in the plot by either Nazir or his father.
Both men were imprisoned last year for their roles in the botched assassination attempt, which stemmed from a feud with Mr Ali’s father, Aslat Mahumad.
Mr Walkling said “revenge was the motive” after Nazir and Aslam were injured during disorder at Mr Mahumad’s clothing boutique in Birmingham in July 2018, which led them to conspire to have someone kill him or a member of his family.
Betro’s three-week trial was told she met Nazir online in late 2018 and then communicated with him via Snapchat before flying into the UK on Christmas Day of the same year.
She told the court she slept with Nazir at an Airbnb in London before returning to the US in January 2019.
During a two-week follow-up visit to Britain in May 2019, Betro told jurors she did not see Nazir at all, instead visiting a friend in Birmingham and staying at “someone’s house in the middle of England to take care of their dog.”
Betro’s mugshot.(Image: West Midlands Police)
Records indicate that the graphic design and childhood education graduate arrived at Manchester Airport on a flight from Atlanta on August 22 2019, a fortnight prior to the attempted murder of Mr Ali.
Betro was captured on CCTV at and near the location of the failed attempt to shoot Mr Ali, who managed to escape in his car when the gun jammed.
The would-be killer, who had waited in a Mercedes car for around 45 minutes for Mr Ali to arrive, then used a “burner” phone to send Mr Ali’s father messages reading “Where are you hiding?” and “stop playing hide and seek, you are lucky it jammed”.
Security camera footage also captured her return to the scene hours later, when she aimed three shots through two front windows at Mr Ali’s family home.
The damaged Mercedes was later found dumped, leading to the discovery of a black glove with Betro’s DNA on it.
CCTV footage shown to the jury this afternoon, captures a person firing three shots into the property(Image: Image: West Midlands Police / SWNS)
Betro told the court she flew into the UK to celebrate her 40th birthday and knew nothing of any shooting or plot by the time she returned to the US.
She also attempted to explain away evidence against her by claiming the woman caught on CCTV wielding a gun and recorded booking taxis was “another American woman” known to Nazir, who had a similar voice and footwear.
Nazir was jailed for 32 years in November 2024 for offences including conspiracy to murder, while Aslam was sentenced to 10 years.
The men, both of Elms Avenue, Derby, denied any wrongdoing but were convicted after a trial also held at Birmingham Crown Court.
Detective Chief Inspector Alastair Orencas, of West Midlands Police, said: “This is a unique case which has involved a huge amount of work tracing the movements of Betro from her arrival into the UK, her subsequent failed attempt to shoot a man dead, and her departure from the UK.
“It’s by luck that her attempt to kill her target failed, thanks to the jamming of her gun.
“An incredible amount of work went into building up a really detailed picture of her activities while in the UK.
Aimee Betro with her luggage
“While she was passing herself off as a tourist, posting pictures and video of landmarks such as the London Eye while she was here, her real purpose was to commit murder.
“We worked really closely with partners such as the Armenian Government, NCA, FBI, Crown Prosecution Service and Derbyshire Constabulary to bring Betro back to the UK to face justice.
“I’d like to thank all of them for helping to achieve justice.”
Commenting on Betro’s conviction, John Sheehan, head of the CPS Extradition unit, said: “This was a complex investigation and extradition process which required bringing together multiple agencies including the National Crime Agency and Armenian courts.
“We worked together to make sure we had a watertight prima facie case in order to lawfully arrest Aimee Betro in a foreign country without her becoming aware and potentially fleeing again.
“I hope these convictions send a clear message that we will actively work with our criminal justice partners domestically and internationally to pursue criminals who attempt to evade justice, and make sure that they are brought to a courtroom to be held accountable for their actions.”