US woman convicted over failed assassination in UK

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - LONDON — A US woman who was hired as a killer and tried to shoot a man in the UK at point-blank range has been found guilty of conspiracy to murder.

Would-be assassin Aimee Betro, from West Allis in Wisconsin, flew into the country as part of a plot to attack a British family in Birmingham in 2019, before going on the run for nearly five years.

Her co-conspirators had been involved in a feud with the family of intended target Sikander Ali, her trial heard.

During the case at Birmingham Crown Court, jurors heard Betro hid her identity using a niqab when she tried to fire shots on Measham Grove, Yardley, but her gun jammed and Mr Ali fled the scene unharmed.

Jurors deliberated for almost 21 hours before convicting Betro of conspiracy to murder, possessing a self-loading pistol with intent to cause fear of violence, and a charge of illegally importing ammunition.

During the trial, jurors were told the defendant had been involved in a conspiracy with two men - Mohammed Nazir and Mohammed Aslam - as part of their vendetta against Birmingham businessman Aslat Mahumad.

Prosecutors said revenge was the motive after Nazir and Aslam were injured during disorder at Mr Mahumad's clothing boutique in July 2018.

A plot was hatched, the court heard, to have someone kill Mr Mahumad or a member of his family.

As the jury returned its verdicts the defendant, wearing a purple T-shirt and with her hair in space buns, showed no obvious reaction and stared towards the jury.

She was found guilty by a majority 11-1 verdict, on the conspiracy to murder and firearm charges, and by a unanimous verdict on the ammunition charge.

Speaking after Betro was convicted, Det Ch Insp Alastair Orencas said only a malfunction of her pistol or a "rogue" bullet had prevented Betro from shooting Mr Ali.

Betro's use of a niqab to hide her face "didn't work very well" as "the footwear didn't change, phones didn't change" and various CCTV cameras caught her in the area of the shooting, Det Ch Insp Orencas said.

"It was a fairly poor attempt [at disguise] and again, whether or not the attitude was that the British police wouldn't be up to it, I think she was fatally flawed, if that was ever the consideration in her mind," Mr Orencas noted.

While she was on the run, Betro spent several years in Armenia, before being detained by authorities and extradited to face trial, after being tracked down to a hideout by the Daily Mail newspaper. She is due to be sentenced on 21 August.

Thanking the Mail for its investigation, Det Ch Insp Orencas said: "There were parallel inquiries going on but, without a doubt, the Daily Mail were of great assistance.

"And I'll say thank you on record to the Mail with regard to that."

Hannah Sidaway, from the Crown Prosecution Service in the West Midlands, said it was "sheer luck" that Sikander Ali managed to get away unscathed after Betro tried to kill him at point-blank range.

She said: "Only Betro knows what truly motivated her or what she sought to gain from becoming embroiled in a crime that meant she travelled hundreds of miles from Wisconsin to Birmingham to execute an attack on a man she did not know."

Defence barrister Paul Lewis KC said he was not asking for pre-sentence reports as they would not assist the court.

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."

Despite the events in which she was a key player, detectives have suggested records point to Betro having virtually no criminal past prior to the murder plot.

Her conviction comes after Nazir, 31, and his father Aslam, 59, both from Derby, were jailed last year after being convicted of conspiracy to murder. — BBC