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A US citizen, Aimee Betro, has been found guilty of a ruthless revenge plot to murder a Birmingham shop owner, an assassination attempt that failed only because her firearm jammed at the crucial moment.
Betro, 45, who was extradited from Armenia earlier this year to face justice, was convicted by a majority verdict on charges of conspiracy to murder and possessing a self-loading pistol with intent to cause fear of violence. The jury also delivered a unanimous guilty verdict for illegally importing ammunition.
The court heard that Betro, originally from West Allis, Wisconsin, flew to the UK in August 2019 as part of a plot orchestrated by father and son, Mohammed Aslam, 56, and Mohammed Nabil Nazir, 31. The men had been embroiled in a violent feud with the intended victim's family after being injured in a July 2018 altercation at a clothing boutique. The motive, prosecutors argued, was pure revenge.
On the night of September 7, 2019, Betro was captured on CCTV waiting outside the victim's home in the Yardley area of Birmingham. Disguised in a niqab, she approached the unsuspecting man as he arrived home. She pulled out a handgun and aimed it at him at point-blank range, but the weapon's failure to fire allowed the victim to escape in his car.
The court was also shown evidence that hours later, Betro returned to the scene in a taxi and fired three shots into the windows of the victim's empty house. A month after the failed assassination, she was also linked to a "devious scheme" to illegally import gun parts and ammunition into the UK, with her DNA found on the items after they were intercepted.
During the trial, Betro claimed her presence near the scene was a "terrible coincidence" and denied any involvement, suggesting the perpetrator was "another American woman" with a similar accent and trainers. Her co-conspirators, Aslam and Nazir, were previously tried and jailed in November 2024 for their roles in the plot. Nazir received a 32-year sentence, while Aslam was jailed for 10 years.
Dressed in a purple T-shirt with her hair styled in space buns, Betro showed no visible reaction as the jury of 12 returned the verdicts after nearly 21 hours of deliberation. Judge Simon Drew KC remanded her in custody, with sentencing scheduled for Thursday, August 21.
