A US woman, Aimee Betro, has been found guilty of conspiracy to murder after a botched assassination attempt in Birmingham, UK, in 2019. The 44-year-old from West Allis, Wisconsin, was hired as a hitwoman in a violent feud between two Derby men and a Birmingham family.
Birmingham Crown Court heard that Betro was recruited by Mohammed Nazir, 31, and his father Mohammed Aslam, 59, who sought revenge against businessman Aslat Mahumad. The feud began after Nazir and Aslam were injured in a brawl at Mahumad’s clothing boutique in July 2018. Prosecutors said the men plotted to have Mahumad or a family member killed, and Betro was flown in from the US to carry out the attack.
On the night of the incident, Betro lay in wait outside Mahumad’s home wearing a niqab to conceal her identity. When Mahumad’s son, Sikander Ali, arrived, she approached his SUV and fired at point-blank range. The gun jammed, allowing Ali to escape unharmed. Hours later, Betro returned in a taxi and fired three shots into the empty house.
Betro also taunted Mahumad via text, sending messages such as, “Stop playing hide and seek, you are lucky it jammed.” Detectives later linked her to the crime through CCTV, phone records, and her distinctive footwear, which she failed to change despite the disguise.
Her motive remains unclear. Hannah Sidaway from the Crown Prosecution Service called it “sheer luck” that Ali survived, while Detective Chief Inspector Alastair Orencas suggested Betro may have underestimated UK police capabilities.
After the failed hit, Betro fled abroad, spending years in Armenia. She was eventually tracked down by the Daily Mail newspaper and extradited to the UK. Nazir and Aslam were convicted and jailed last year.
Following nearly 21 hours of jury deliberation, Betro was found guilty by an 11-1 majority on conspiracy to murder and firearm possession charges, and unanimously on illegally importing ammunition. She will be sentenced on 21 August.
DCI Orencas thanked the Daily Mail for aiding in Betro’s capture, adding: “Only a malfunction of her pistol or a rogue bullet prevented a murder that night.”
The case has been described as a chilling reminder of how international criminal plots can unfold and fail through a combination of luck, mistakes, and determined investigative work.
