‘Hijabi Hitwoman’ Aimee Betro convicted over botched Birmingham assassination plot

Aimee Betro, 45, found guilty of plotting to kill Sikander Ali in Birmingham, after flying from the US & acting on instructions from co-conspirators. A US woman has been convicted of attempting to murder members of a rival Midlands family in a high-profile plot orchestrated by a father-and-son pair from Derby.

Aimee Betro, 45, from West Allis, Wisconsin, was found guilty at Birmingham Crown Court of conspiracy to murder, possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, and being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of ammunition. Jurors deliberated for almost 21 hours before returning the verdicts, convicting her on majority and unanimous decisions.

The court heard that Betro, who had met Mohammed Nabil Nazir, 31, on a dating app, flew to the UK in August 2019 to carry out a plot conceived by Nazir and his father Mohammed Aslam, 59. The pair had sought revenge after being injured during a disorder at a bridal shop owned by Aslat Mahumad in July 2018.

On 7 September 2019, Betro disguised herself in a niqab, lay in wait outside the Mahumad family home in Measham Grove, Yardley, and attempted to shoot Sikander Ali at point-blank range. The handgun jammed, allowing Ali to flee in his car. She later returned in a taxi several hours afterward and fired three rounds at the empty property.

Read more: Guilty: Gunman shot victim at point-blank range in car park

Betro’s role extended beyond the UK: she allegedly collaborated with Nazir on a separate scheme to frame another man by shipping firearms components and ammunition from the US. DNA evidencefrom both the attempted assassination and the packages linked her directly to the offences, with samples recovered from a black glove inside a getaway vehicle and from all three packages sent to frame the Derby man.

Despite having no obvious criminal background, Betro agreed to participate in the plot, travelling thousands of miles to commit murder. She had spent the previous five years living in Armenia, where she was arrested in January this year and extradited to the UK.

Nazir and Aslam were previously jailed last year for conspiracy to murder in connection with the same feud. Sikander Ali, the target of the attack, was jailed last year for unrelated drugs and firearms offences.

Detective Chief Inspector Alastair Orencas, of West Midlands Police, praised the multi-agency investigation: “We worked closely with the Armenian Government, NCA, FBI, Crown Prosecution Service and Derbyshire Constabulary to bring Betro back to the UK and secure justice. DNA evidence was a crucial part of the case.”