A Birmingham jury on Tuesday convicted Aimee Betro, a 45-year-old U.S. citizen from West Allis, Wisconsin, of conspiracy to murder and related firearms offences stemming from a botched assassination attempt in 2019. The verdict was delivered at Birmingham Crown Court after a two-week trial. Prosecutors said Betro flew to the United Kingdom in September 2019, donned a niqab to hide her identity and tried to shoot shopkeeper Sikander Ali at point-blank range outside his home in the Yardley district. The handgun jammed, and Ali escaped. Hours later, Betro returned and fired three shots through the family’s bedroom windows; no one was injured. Betro fled the country the next day and evaded capture for nearly five years before being arrested in Armenia in July 2024 and extradited to the UK earlier this year. She was also found guilty of possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and illegally importing ammunition. Sentencing is scheduled for 21 August, and she faces a possible life term. Investigators said the hit was orchestrated by Mohammed Aslam and his son, Mohammed Nabil Nazir, who were previously jailed for 10 and 32 years, respectively. The men were embroiled in a violent feud with Ali’s family following a 2018 altercation at a Birmingham bridal shop. “This prosecution is the culmination of years of hard work doggedly pursuing Aimee Betro across countries and borders,” prosecutor Hannah Sidaway told the court, noting that only chance prevented the shooting from becoming a murder.