US Hitwoman Guilty of Conspiracy to Murder Birmingham Target

Aimee Betro, a 45-year-old US citizen, was found guilty at Birmingham Crown Court of conspiracy to murder, possessing a self-loading pistol with intent to cause fear of violence, and illegally importing ammunition in connection with a failed assassination plot in Birmingham in September 2019. Betro, who disguised herself in a niqab and wore a purple T-shirt with her hair in space buns, attempted to shoot Sikander Ali at point-blank range, but the gun jammed, allowing Ali to escape. She was involved in a revenge plot orchestrated by Mohammed Aslam and Mohammed Nabil Nazir against a rival family following a prior altercation. Betro fled to the US after the attempt but was later extradited to the UK for trial. The jury convicted her mostly by majority verdicts after nearly 21 hours of deliberation, and she showed no emotion during the verdicts; she will be sentenced on August 21. Her co-conspirators received lengthy prison sentences last year, with Nazir given 32 years and Aslam 10 years.