Aimee Betro, a 45-year-old American woman from Wisconsin, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison at Birmingham Crown Court for attempting to murder a business owner in Birmingham. She was found guilty earlier this month of conspiracy to murder, possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, and illegally importing ammunition into the UK.
The attack occurred in September 2019 when Betro, disguised in a niqab, tried to shoot Sikander Ali outside his home in South Yardley. She fired at point-blank range as he arrived in his car, but the gun jammed, allowing him to escape unharmed. Hours later, she returned and fired three bullets through the bedroom windows of the family home, again causing no injuries.
Betro was recruited by her long-distance boyfriend, Mohammed Nazir, whom she met on a dating app. Nazir and his father, Mohammed Aslam, orchestrated the plot as revenge for a dispute with Ali's father. Nazir was sentenced to 32 years, and Aslam to 10 years, for their roles.
After the failed attempt, Betro fled to the US and then Armenia, from where she was extradited. The judge noted her leading role as the gunwoman and the premeditated nature of the crime, stating it was only by chance that no one was killed.
