Who is Aimee Betro? American Woman Found Guilty of UK Murder Plot After Five Years on the Run

An American woman, Aimee Betro, has been found guilty of conspiracy to murder after flying to the UK to carry out a failed hit job on a man in Birmingham. The shocking attack was part of a revenge plot connected to a dispute over wedding clothes.

Betro, now 45, was in love with Mohammed Nabil Nazir, 31, a British man she met online. She came to the UK to kill Sikander Ali, Nazir’s rival. The incident happened on September 6, 2019, outside Ali’s home.

A Hit Job Gone Wrong

On the night of the attack, Betro waited in a Mercedes E240 outside Ali’s house on Measham Grove. She wore a niqab to hide her identity. As Ali arrived in his SUV, she jumped out with a gun and fired at close range.

The gun jammed. Ali escaped in his car. Hours later, Betro returned and fired three bullets through the window of Ali’s family home. Miraculously, no one was hurt.

DNA and CCTV Evidence

Police later found Betro’s DNA on a glove inside the Mercedes used in the shooting. Her image was also caught on CCTV nearby, both before and after the attack.

The gun used—a rare Hi-Point C9 pistol from America—was never found in the UK before or since.

Tracking the Plot

Betro used a “dirty” mobile phone purchased just before the attack. She even texted Ali after the shooting: “Where are you hiding? Stop playing hide and seek. You are lucky it jammed.”

She then fled back to the United States, where she met up with Nazir. They traveled around California and Nevada, even visiting Area 51.

Arrest After 5 Years on the Run

Betro managed to avoid arrest for nearly five years. In 2024, she was found hiding in Armenia. British police were tipped off by reporters from the Daily Mail.

She was arrested on a Red Notice, extradited to the UK, and held without interview.

Trial and Verdict

During the trial at Birmingham Crown Court, Betro denied all charges. She claimed it was another American woman who looked like her.

But the jury convicted her on all counts:

• Conspiracy to murder

• Possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear

• Importing ammunition into the UK

The court heard that she was obsessed with Nazir, despite meeting him only a few times.

Nazir and his father Mohammed Aslam, 57, were both jailed in 2023 for their roles in the plot. Nazir got 32 years, and Aslam received 10 years.

Origin of the Dispute

The motive was revenge. In 2018, Nazir and his father were hurt during a fight at a clothing store in Birmingham. The fight caused serious brain injuries to Aslam. This feud later escalated into a murder plan.

Betro was used as the “hitwoman” to carry it out.

Shocking Twist: Victim Was a Drug Dealer

In a twist, police later discovered that the target, Sikander Ali, was a cocaine dealer. He used the Encrochat network to supply drugs and even admitted borrowing a gun for protection.

He was arrested in 2023 trying to flee to Dubai and is now serving 13.5 years in prison.

What Officials Said

Detective Chief Inspector Alastair Orencas from West Midlands Police said: “It was a well-planned, persistent, murderous attempt to take someone’s life. It is only because the gun failed that Ali is alive today.”

Prosecutor Hannah Sidaway OBE added: “Betro tried to kill a man at point-blank range. She was relentless in avoiding justice, but international cooperation made her capture possible.”