A woman who attempted to shoot a rival at point-blank range while disguised in a niqab has been found guilty of conspiracy to murder. Aimee Betro, 45, originally from the United States, flew to the UK as part of a revenge plot orchestrated by father and son co-conspirators Mohammed Aslam, 59, and Mohammed Nabil Nazir, 31, to attack a family they had been feuding with.
Jurors at Birmingham Crown Court deliberated for 21 hours before finding Betro guilty on charges of conspiracy to murder, possessing a self-loading pistol with intent to cause fear of violence, and illegally importing ammunition. The jury found Betro guilty by 11-1 verdicts on the conspiracy to murder and firearm charges, and by a unanimous verdict on the ammunition charge. Betro, from Wisconsin, showed no reaction as the verdicts were read out.
The court heard that Betro tried to shoot Sikander Ali outside his home in Yardley, Birmingham, on the evening of 7 September 2019, but her handgun jammed. CCTV footage showed Betro standing outside Ali’s home, pulling out a handgun as Ali exited his car, but failing to fire any rounds. Ali jumped back into his car and drove away.
Betro had met Nazir on a dating app and travelled to the UK twice before the attempted killing, including between December 2018 and January 2019. She claimed the third trip was to celebrate her birthday. After the failed attempt, Betro texted Ali’s father messages including “Where are you hiding?” and “Stop playing hide and seek, you are lucky it jammed.” Hours later, she returned to Ali’s home in a taxi and fired three rounds into the empty house.
Betro fled to the US while Aslam and Nazir were tried, spending several years in Armenia before being arrested last summer and extradited to the UK in January this year. John Sheehan, head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s extradition unit, called it a “complex investigation and extradition process” and said the conviction should send a message that the CPS will pursue criminals who attempt to evade justice.
