American hitwoman is jailed for 30 years for trying to shoot dead rival of British thug she had fallen in love with online as part of desperate bid to gain his affection https://t.co/OGXVPUlJeT
US woman disguised in niqab whose gun jammed during assassination attempt jailed https://t.co/KYEFUcJSLT
US woman Aimee Betro jailed for 30 years for trying to assassinate partner's rival in Birmingham, England https://t.co/udzpX6ryOP
A Birmingham Crown Court judge has sentenced U.S. citizen Aimee Betro to 30 years in prison for conspiracy to murder after a failed assassination attempt in September 2019. Betro, now 45, travelled from Wisconsin to the U.K., disguised herself in a niqab and fired at shop owner Sikander Ali outside his home in Measham Grove, Yardley. The handgun jammed, allowing Ali to escape, but Betro returned hours later and fired three shots into the family’s empty house. No one was injured. Prosecutors said Betro was recruited by Mohammed Nabil Nazir, 31, and his father Mohammed Aslam, 56, who were jailed last year for the same conspiracy amid a feud between two clothing-business families. Judge Simon Drew KC told Betro the plot was intended as an "execution" and that only chance prevented a fatality. Betro was also convicted of possessing a firearm with intent and illegally importing ammunition; the 30-year term will require her to serve two-thirds before possible release on licence. Betro fled the U.K. the day after the attack and spent five years in Armenia before her arrest on an Interpol red notice and extradition. Defence counsel described her as previously of good character and "infatuated" with Nazir, but the court found she played a leading role in planning and carrying out the attack. Detective Chief Inspector Alastair Orencas of West Midlands Police called the case "unique" and said thorough international cooperation was essential to bringing Betro to justice.
