Latest news with #hitwoman
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
American 'hitwoman' accused of failed assassination attempt on Birmingham shop owner tells jury she flew into the country to celebrate her birthday and attend boat party
An American 'hitwoman' who has been accused of attempting to assassinate a Birmingham shopkeeper flew to the UK to celebrate her birthday and attend a boat party, a jury heard. Aimee Betro, 45, disguised herself by wearing a niqab and tried to shoot Sikander Ali at point blank range outside his home in Measham Grove, Birmingham, but the gun jammed, allowing Mr Ali to flee, the court was told. She is alleged to have flown from Wisconsin as part of a plot orchestrated by co-conspirators Mohammed Aslam, 56, and Mohammed Nabil Nazir, 31, of Elms Avenue in Derby, to attack a rival family on September 7, 2019. Giving evidence in her defence on Monday, Betro explained that she visited the UK three times before the shooting. She told Birmingham Crown Court she had slept with Nazir at an Airbnb during a visit to the UK spanning December 2018 and January 2019. During a second visit to the UK in May 2019, she said she did not meet Nazir, who she 'had feelings' for. In her evidence, Betro said on both occasions she did 'touristy' things, including attending music events, viewing street art in east London, visiting a friend in Birmingham and taking care of a dog 'at someone's house in the middle of England'. Asked why she had paid a third visit to the UK, arriving at Manchester Airport from Atlanta around two weeks before the shooting, Betro told jurors: 'To celebrate my birthday and I won tickets for another boat party in London. 'And there was another little festival that was at Crystal Palace that I wanted to go to.' Betro denies conspiracy to murder, possessing a self-loading pistol and a charge of fraudulently evading the prohibition on importing ammunition. Her barrister, Paul Lewis KC, asked her what she thought of Nazir after meeting him on a dating app, communicating with him via Snapchat and meeting him in London. Betro answered: 'He was charming and I did like him. He was sweet and I did have feelings for him.' She told the court 'I would guess so' when asked if she thought Nazir had feelings for her, but added that she was not trying to build a relationship with him because they lived in different countries. Standing up in the witness box, Betro, wearing a casual round-necked navy blue top and square-rimmed glasses, began her evidence by giving personal details, including her height as being 5ft 5ins. During her evidence, Betro was asked about messages between her and Nazir which referred to a gun broker website and a silencer. She said she did not remember the message referring to a broker, but told the court she had posted 'gaming things' relating to an an old gaming system. She also told the court she had lived at an address in West Allis, Winsconsin, from 2013 to 2019 and had 'a couple of different degrees' in early childhood education and graphic design. The Crown alleges that Betro returned to the scene hours after the shooting and fired three shots into Mr Ali's house, which was empty at the time, before leaving the UK and flying back to the US the next day. The court heard father and son Aslam and Nazir, who were jailed last year for their part in the bungled assassination plot, were involved in a feud with Mr Ali's father, Aslat Mahumad. Nazir and Aslam had been injured during disorder at Mr Mahumad's clothing boutique in Birmingham in July 2018, jurors have been told, leading them to conspire to have someone kill him or a member of his family. Opening the case, Tom Walkling KC, prosecuting said: 'On the seventh of September 2019 in a suburban cul de sac in South Yardley a would-be assassin tried to shoot a man called Sikander Ali at close range outside his house. 'The assassin was a woman who tried to disguise her appearance by wearing a niqab - a face covering - and what looked like a burka.' He told jurors the gun jammed but she was 'not deterred' and 'returned to the same address on the same cul-de-sac a few hours later and used the now working gun to shoot three bullets through the bedroom windows of the victim's home.' The court was told her two co conspirators Mohammed Nazir, 30, and his father Mohammed Aslam, 56, from Derby, had already been tried and convicted over the plot. Both have been convicted of conspiracy to murder while Nazir was also convicteded of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. Mr Walkling said Betro was in contact with Nazir before she flew to Manchester Airport in August 2019. Mr Walkling said Betro had two phones - a normal 'day to day' phone which she used regularly - and a 'dirty phone' - bought before the shooting. Mr Walkling said the motive for the murder was 'revenge'. He said Nazir and Aslam were involved in a 'vendetta' with a family in Birmingham, specifically a clothes shop owner called Aslat Mahumad, whose son was Sikander Ali. Both men lived at an address in Measham Grove, South Yardley where Betro allegedly tried to murder Mr Ali and where she fired bullets through the window. The court heard that in July 2018 there was a disorder at Mr Mahumad's clothes shop which resulted in damage to the premises and Nazir, Aslam, and Aslat Mahumad all getting injured. Mr Walkling said: 'This is the background to the shooting and attempted shooting outside Aslat Mahumad's house the following year, and the only connection we have between Nazir and Aslam and the family who lived at that address in Measham Grove.' Jurors were told that on August Betro went to Birmingham and hired a Mercedes C Class car from Enterprise at Birmingham Airport. The car was later involved in a three car collision in Derby with Mohammed Nazir and another woman. Both later received insurance payouts, the court heard. She then stayed at a hotel in Derby for two nights before travelling to London and Brighton before returning to Birmingham and then back to Derby. The court was played a video clip - from Nazir's phone - showing a gun being fired into the ground three days before the attempted shooting in Birmingham which prosecutors said was a bid to 'test' the weapon. Mr Walkling said: 'It's a firearm that fires the same calibre of ammunition that police recovered from outside the victim's home a few days after this video was made.' The 'metadata' for the clip shows it was created on September 4, 2019, the day Betro was in Derby and three minutes before Nazir added Betro's snapchat details into his phone. Mr Walkling said to jurors: 'You have to ask your self was Betro there with Nazir testing this gun? Other CCTV footage from Rotunda hotel in Birmingham shows Betro in a summer dress, hoodie, rucksack and flip flops. While at the hotel on September 6 she phoned Aslat Mahumad, claiming she wanted to buy the car he was selling online. Mr Walkling said: 'Mr Mahumad recalls being called by a woman with an American accent... He was confused, as he hadn't listed his number online. 'The woman said she wanted to buy the car today, but Mr Mahumad said she could see it tomorrow. 'As I'm sure you have guessed, ladies and gentlemen, we say the woman with the American accent was this defendant, Aimee Betro, and that she was calling Mr Mahumad as a pretext to set up a chance to kill him. And who else could it be? she had the phone she bought it only hours before.' Later that night she met up with Nazir, who went with her to her hotel room where they ordered food on Deliveroo before he travelled back to Derby with his father in their transit van. The following day she tried to kill Aslat Mahumad's son, jurors were told. The court heard she left the hotel and bought another cheap mobile phone and SIM card - all caught on CCTV. She later called a man selling used Mercedes E240 from his garage, Rock Cars, in Alum Rock. Mr Walkling told jurors: 'He sold it to someone he described, perhaps unkindly, as a short, fat woman, who spoke with an American accent, wore a summer dress, and had a bag over her shoulder. 'Helpfully you can see still images of what Betro wore when she went out that day. A fitting if unflattering match to the description [he] gave.' He said the car was later driven to Measham Grove, the scene of the shooting. He said: 'It's the car in which the would-be assassin waited, and its the car from which she emerged to try and kill Sikander Ali.' Jurors were told that when buying the car she gave the name 'Becky Booth' and a false address. Mr Walkling said Becky was a 'nom de guerre' that Betro used again later that day when booking a taxi after the botched shooting. After buying the car she called Mr Mahumad once again on the pretext of looking at a car. Mr Mahumad said he couldn't meet, and that she could meet someone else with the car the next day. Later that day she met with Nazir and Aslam with mobile phone data showing her dirty phone connected to Nazir's wireless network - known as a 'hotspot'. The Mercedes was later seen at the entrance to Measham Grove. Mr Walking said the driver 'appears to be wearing a face-covering, a niqab'. He said at 7.22pm hours, Betro drove onto Measham Grove and waited for her target. He said she waited for more than 45 minutes. At 9.10pm Sikander Ali pulled onto Measham Grove in his black SUV which was all caught on camera. In video footage played to the court, a woman which the prosecution said was Betro, can be seen approaching the SUV and firing but the gun jams. Mr Ali is able to reverse away at speed, clipping the Mercedes' door as he does. The court was told the collision bent the the door badly enough that it wouldn't close, and Betro had to drive away with the door half open. She later dumped the Mercedes. Police found a black glove with Betro's DNA inside. 'Further proof if any was needed ... that she was the gunwoman in the burka',' Mr Walkling said. Six minutes later she was again caught on CCTV shown to the jury from close to where the car was dumped wearing a summer dress, hoodie and flip flops and carrying two bags. 'There is no doubt that is Betro,' Mr Walkling said. She later called a taxi to take her back to the hotel, a recording of which was played to the jury. The caller had a distinct American accent and used the name 'Becky'. CCTV, also shown to the jury, shows her returning to the Rotunda, still wearing the same summer dress and flip flops. She left the hotel an hour and 10 minutes later having changed her outfit to trousers with white stipes down the side and black Converse trainers. Betro then sent text messages to her intended target, the court was told. Screenshots of the texts were shown to the jury. She said to him: 'Where are you hiding? followed by 'Stop playing hide and seek you are lucky it jammed'. Betro then called another taxi to take her back to Measham Grove. Jurors were show CCTV of a figure matching Betro's description firing three shots in to the family home. 'Ladies and gentlemen the gun didn't jam that time did it?' Mr Walkling said. 'Did you note, the hoodie, and the handbag worn across her body, just as Betro was dressed earlier. 'Three shots were fired. Three bullets went through the windows of Aslat Muhamad's family home. Three bullet casings were found in the street outside.' Jurors were shown pictures of the damage the bullets caused. Mr Walking said: 'Two went through the bay window on the left. The other went through the bedroom window on the right.' Mr Walkling said Betro then got back into the taxi and during the journey she sent a text message to Mr Mahumad which said: 'you wanna rip me off you wanna be a drug king go look at your house watch your back i'll be shedding blood'. She flew back to the US the following day from Manchester Airport. Nazir flew out to join her three days later.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The Assassin to Tyler, the Creator: the week in rave reviews
Prime Video Summed up in a sentence Keeley Hawes puts in a fantastic performance in a hugely fun thriller about a menopausal hitwoman who ends up having to go on the run with her adult son. What our reviewer said 'The Assassin is perfectly crafted preposterousness. It is stylish, witty, tightly written, even more tightly paced and takes the job of massively entertaining us at every turn with the proper amount of seriousness.' Lucy Mangan Read the full review Further reading 'Must-have genre' for uncertain times: why spy thrillers have taken over TV BBC iPlayer Summed up in a sentence A rich, subtle and sophisticated drama about child sexual abuse from renowned writer Jimmy McGovern. What our reviewer said 'It is an altogether richer, more subtle and more sophisticated creation than, say, Adolescence, to which it is likely to be compared; as such, it is unlikely to be adopted as a pseudo policy document by the government. More's the pity.' Lucy Mangan Read the full review Further reading 'I danced my little bottom off!' Anna Friel on a rejuvenating Oasis gig – and her new Jimmy McGovern drama BBC iPlayer Summed up in a sentence A visceral, passionate adaptation of a Booker prize-winning novel that's set in three separate timelines. What our reviewer said 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North is not an easy prospect, but it is an immensely powerful one, driven by strong performances and a bracing confidence in its ability to tell this story, at its own pace, in its own way.' Rebecca Nicholson Read the full review BBC One/iPlayer Summed up in a sentence As he grieves his beloved father, the atheist broadcaster sets off on a pilgrimage that takes him on a surprisingly glorious spiritual adventure. What our reviewer said 'What Amol Rajan Goes to the Ganges expresses most powerfully of all, certainly to this fellow bereaved Hindu, are the irresolvable particularities, and commonalities, of second-generation grief.' Chitra Ramaswamy Read the full review In cinemas now Summed up in a sentence Creepy and tense noir chiller with hints of Lynch and Cronenberg and star and co-writer Ariella Mastroianni radiating suppressed anguish and rage. What our reviewer said 'A genuine skin-crawling unease seeps out of the screen for every second of its running time, helped by a brooding, moaning electronic score by Steve Matthew Carter.' Peter Bradshaw Read the full review In cinemas now Summed up in a sentence Lars Eidinger plays a man embarking on a major orchestral project, but whose professional status is threatened by family turmoil behind the scenes. What our reviewer said 'This is a bleak, bold, extravagantly crazy story which is emotionally incorrect at all times. Perhaps it could have been produced as a streaming-TV production but that would have deprived audiences of the pleasures of swallowing it whole.' Peter Bradshaw Read the full review In cinemas now Summed up in a sentence Marvel offers a superhero family sitcom with Mr Fantastic and Sue Storm living together as a dysfunctional family in a retro-futurist version of early 1960s New York. What our reviewer said 'The result hangs together as an entertaining spectacle in its own innocent self-enclosed universe of fantasy wackiness, where real people actually read the comic books that have made mythic legends of the real Four.' Peter Bradshaw Read the full review Further reading Whiteboard warrior: Marvel is priming Mister Fantastic to be the new leader of the Avengers In cinemas now Summed up in a sentence F Murray Abraham mesmerises as bland court composer Salieri who is eclipsed by Tom Hulce's nitrogen-voiced genius Mozart in Miloš Forman's masterpiece. What our reviewer said 'The pure gorgeous villainy of F Murray Abraham once again floods the screen, as saturnine and sulphurous as ever, in this new rerelease of Amadeus in its original 1984 theatrical cut.' Peter Bradshaw Read the full review Mubi; available now Summed up in a sentence Saule Bliuvaite's debut feature follows two Lithuanian teens seduced by a 'modelling school' promising to take them away from their tough home town. What our reviewer said 'Bliuvaite and her cinematographer Vytautas Katkus contrive striking tableaux and ambient setpieces, creating an emotional context for this drama: a world of alienation and desperate need, but also resilient humour.' Peter Bradshaw Read the full review Out now Summed up in a sentence The posthumously published final collection from a leading poet of our age. What our reviewer said 'It's our great good fortune that Burnside's closing work is also one of his finest. He is attentive to the degradation of nature; staring it in the face and obliging us to stare at it, too. But more often than not, it's the beauty that possesses him.' Sarah Crown Read the full review Further reading John Burnside: 'My stoner friends were into The Hobbit, but Gormenghast was darker' Reviewed by Blake Morrison Summed up in a sentence A writer's reflections as she walks the coast to coast path. What our reviewer said 'What's captivating about her book is all the thinking she does mid- or post-trek: on writing, friendship, welfare, illness, climate change, protest marches, knitting, and why it is that in popular mythology 'walking women' are either models on a catwalk or sex workers.' Read the full review Reviewed by Anthony Cummins Summed up in a sentence A warmly comic saga about two tech entrepreneurs. What our reviewer said 'A critique of disruptor-era genius is less important here than feeling and friendship; the winningly Edwardian, even Victorian, approach to storytelling extends right to the heart-swelling deathbed climax.' Read the full review Reviewed by Ella Risbridger Summed up in a sentence A slippery coming-of-age story about infatuation and ambiguity. What our reviewer said 'The teenage girl, in Forrest's capable and unusual fifth novel, is a kind of bottomless pit of need – for desire, attention and the world to come.' Read the full review Further reading 'It was my gateway drug to self-harm': a writer's journey to finding the joy in makeup Reviewed by Alex Clark Summed up in a sentence A surprising and playful study of the art of translation. What our reviewer said 'Shepherding a piece of writing from one language into another requires so many minute responses, thought processes and decisions that the translator would find it impossible to suppress their own voice.' Read the full review Reviewed by Kathryn Hughes Summed up in a sentence How animals have shaped British identity. What our reviewer said 'Hedgehogs were reputed to sneak into human settlements at night and steal eggs (true) and suck the udders of sleeping cows (almost certainly false).' Read the full review Out now Summed up in a sentence The soul-searching of last year's Chromakopia is expelled – for the most part – by half an hour of early 80s rhythms and slick one-liners with the IDGAF attitude of his early years. What our reviewer said 'Almost all of its 10 tracks seem fixated on the dancefloor. There are 808 beats, Kraftwerk-y electronics, a noticeable smattering of Zapp-like vocoder and electro, among other early 80s genres. The musical reference points are deployed with an evident love and understanding of the source material, never feeling like box-ticking or pastiche; the hooks work with enviable efficiency.' Alexis Petridis Read the full review Out now Summed up in a sentence Almost three decades on, Madonna finally releases the long-promised Ray of Light remix collection. What our reviewer said 'For diehards, the promised record is something of a holy grail. The old demo Gone Gone Gone is brilliantly weird, a wistful breakup ballad set to a squelchy electro beat that gives a surprising amount of insight into Madonna's creative state at the time: here is one of the biggest stars in the world, in her creative prime, throwing anything at the wall to see what sticks.' Shaad D'Souza Read the full review Out now Summed up in a sentence The free-collective energy of one of Braxton's most intuitive groups jostles and enchants on this live recording – salvaged from cassettes – from a 1985 UK tour. What our reviewer said 'Salvaged by state-of-the-art tech methods from former Wire magazine writer and Braxton chronicler Graham Lock's original lo-fi cassette recordings, the set celebrates Braxton's conviction that triggering loose improv through tightly challenging compositions can mirror the everyday flux of living.' John Fordham Read the full review Out now Summed up in a sentence Led by Wendy Eisenberg, the Massachusetts band's third album explores communication challenges in an articulate and exhilarating rock fusion. What our reviewer said 'Editrix make complex music feel organic, like the natural thing to do, and imply that sound succeeds where words often fail us.' Katie Hawthorne Read the full review Out now Summed up in a sentence Once part of the Ohio noise scene, the US producer has moved to Athens, Greece, and makes oscillating bass flute music inspired by the view of the Parthenon from his window. What our reviewer said 'This is blissful ambient music that resonates with a similar depth – though more warmth – to Kali Malone's The Sacrificial Code, and stands to have just as much staying power.' Laura Snapes Read the full review
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The Assassin review – Keeley Hawes's menopausal hitwoman drama is perfectly crafted TV
A menopausal assassin has been a long time coming, even though there is literally no more perfect pairing in the world than a woman rapidly emptying of oestrogen and a gun. I blame the patriarchy, but I understand its unwillingness to confront the truth that if women were free to express themselves instead of raised in mental straitjackets, then armed at 40, the world would look very different indeed. Keeley Hawes, who just gets better and more impressive with every outing, is that menopausal assassin, in the aptly named six-part series The Assassin. Julie is her name and trying to live quietly in Greece and spurning every overture of friendship in the village is her game. Alas, she is called by her handler Damian, after 10 years of quietude, to perform one more time. This happens just as her son Edward (Freddie Highmore, absolutely shining in what is essentially a light comic part in a bloody, murderous caper) comes to visit for the first time in four years too! Even hitwomen have to juggle home and work demands. Oh, and Edward's gone vegan since they last spoke and she got wagyu steaks in for tea. Handlers and kids, eh? Anyway, Edward's here to ask her about the fortune that landed in his account when he turned 30 and if it's anything to do with the father she has always refused to tell him about. She, more or less, tells him to shut up and eat his goddamn tofu. The Assassin is perfectly crafted preposterousness. It is stylish, witty, tightly written, even more tightly paced and takes the job of massively entertaining us at every turn with the proper amount of seriousness. It establishes its various plotlines swiftly and has us looking forward to their intersection whenever we have enough attention to spare, given that excellent things – from barbed exchanges between unmaternal mother and exasperated son to endless action sequences – are always happening in front of us. Obviously the main plot revolves round Julie. She soon realises the man calling is not her real handler (just in time to stop her killing the woman he has given as the target, which turns out to be doubly lucky for her, in a twist which adds much to the preposterousness and, I hope, the gaiety of the viewing nation). Then, after a massacre of almost the entire village by a very bad sniper trying to kill her, she sets herself the task of finding out what's happened to the real Damian and hopefully finding out why she is now a marked woman and more and more people are trying to kill her. This first involves pretty much commandeering the yacht belonging to her former target, Kayla (Shalom Brune-Franklin) and her berk of a brother Ezra (Devon Terrell), scions of a mega-rich mining family owned by a man called Aaron Cross (Alan Dale. One day 'Him from Neighbours! My God, he's doing well!' will not be my first thought when I see him, but that day is not yet here), and trying to get to Albania. An old colleague, Sean (Jack Davenport), arrives on a jet ski. Is he here to help or hinder? We, and a variety of weapons, soon find out. Meanwhile! Another plot strand is unfurling in a Libyan prison. Its newest inmate is a Dutch man called Jasper (David Dencik), who possibly has dirt on Cross that will get him out of said Libyan prison but not before he has added – with the help of the terrifying Russians who 'adopt' him in jail – his quotient of gory set pieces to the series. He, or most of him at least, eventually escapes and disappears into the desert to find Plot A. Meanwhile again! Plot C begins in London, with the astonishingly unexpected but always welcome advent of Gina Gershon as a mysterious woman called Marie who attends an art class in order to draw a picture of someone we recognise as Edward and a speech bubble coming from his gobsmacked gob the narratively fertile phrase 'You're my father?' Aaaaand scene! It's so much fun. Hawes is so good, so funny, Highmore so nimble and perfectly pitched and everyone else – including Gerald Kyd as villager Luka, who survives the massacre and follows the woman who is clearly his best hope of safety to the yacht, where they bond over middle-aged medication – turning in brilliant performances. Do not come looking for realism or social commentary or anything else that clearly has no place here – or I will smash your head in with a rock, like Julie does to her adversaries, especially if I've not replaced my HRT patch on time. Consider yourselves warned. The Assassin is on Prime Video now.
Daily Mail
22-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Bungling hitwoman tried to frame a rival by posting gun parts and ammunition from the US but police found her fingerprints on parcels, court hears
A would-be hitwoman posted ammunition and gun parts from the US as part of a plan to frame a rival, a court heard. Aimee Betro, 45, allegedly tried to disguise her appearance and used a fake name when sending three packages containing parts for an AR15 type assault riffle and ammunition wrapped in foil. Betro sent the items to try to get a man arrested after fleeing the UK in the wake of a botched murder attempt, jurors were told. She is said to have donned a niqab and a burka tried to shoot dead a Birmingham shopkeeper outside his home in September 2019. The gun jammed and the victim, Sikander Ali, 34, was able to escape in his car but she returned hours later to fire three bullets through the window of his family home, Iit is alleged. Betro, originally from Wisconsin, is said to have been acting on the bequest of two co conspirators Mohammed Nazir, 30, and his father Mohammed Aslam, 56, from Derby, who have already been tried and convicted over the plot. The two men were involved in a 'vendetta' clothes shop owner called Aslat Mahumad, whose son was Sikander Ali. Both men lived at an address in Measham Grove, South Yardley where Betro allegedly tried to murder Mr Ali and where she fired bullets through the window. Betro denies three charges of conspiracy to murder, possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, and a charge related to the alleged importation of ammunition into the UK. On the second day of her trial at Birmingham Crown Court on Tuesday, prosecutor Tom Walkling said Betro returned to the US the day after the botched shooting. Nazir followed afterwards and spent a month in the US before returning to the UK when he was arrested. He and his father have both been convicted of conspiracy to murder and while Nazir was also convicted of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. Bot have been jailed. Mr Walkling said Betro was not part of that trial as she was living in Armenia and did not return to the UK until January this year. 'That is the reason why she is being tried separately,' he said. The prosecutor said that while Nazir was in the US and in the days following his return he involved Betro in 'another of his plots to get revenge on a rival'. This time the target was a man from Derby called Faris Quayum. Jurors were told Nazir arranged for the three packages to be sent, then called the police 'tip them off' that Mr Quayum was receiving these parcels. Mr Walkling told the court the plan initially worked, the parcels were intercepted, and Mr Quayum was arrested. 'But Nazir's role in framing eventually came to light,' he said. Police later found Betro's DNA on the parcels, which were sent on October 16, 2019, when Nazir was back in the UK, the court heard. Mr Walkling said: 'We say that Aimee Betro was the person who sent those parcels. She may not have known the full extent of Nazir's devious scheme, but when she sent prohibited ammunition into the UK, she broke the law.' Pictures of the post office from where the parcels were sent were shown to the court. Jurors were also shown CCTV from the post office which shows woman who was 'keen to hide her identity'. Mr Walkling said: 'We say that woman is this defendant, Aimee Betro.' She used the name Michael Chandler when posting the items, the court heard. On Monday, jurors were shown CCTV footage of the moment the would be assassin tried to shoot Mr Ali. Mr Walkling told jurors Betro will deny being the person with the firearm and claims someone else sent the packages. Mr Walkling said: 'We say the evidence in this case against Aimee Betro is compelling, is strong. She was the would-be assassin on the 7th September 2019 .... and again she was the person who furthered another of Nazir's vendettas when she sent ammunition to the UK as part of his plan to frame Mr Quayum.' The trial continues.
The Sun
22-07-2025
- The Sun
Moment US ‘hitwoman wearing burka disguise tries to shoot dead Birmingham shop owner in botched assassination plot'
SHOCKING footage shows the moment a US "hitwoman" is accused of trying to kill a shop owner while wearing a "burka disguise". Aimee Betro, 45, was allegedly involved in a plot that saw Aslat Mahumad threatened with a firearm that jammed in South Yardley, Birmingham, a court heard. 11 11 11 The American denies conspiracy to murder, the possession of a firearm with intent and the illegal importation of ammunition, Birmingham Crown Court was told. Betro allegedly flew in from Wisconsin in the United States as part of the plot, the court heard. She is accused of conspiring with Mohammed Nazir, 31, and his father Mohammed Aslam, 56, to murder Aslat and members of his family between August 21 and September 10 2019. Tom Walkling KC, for the prosecution, said the botched assassination attempt was the culmination of a long-running 'vendetta' involving the family of Aslat. The prosecution claimed that Betro, having bought a Mercedes earlier that day, lay in wait in the vehicle outside Aslat's family home in Measham Grove, Birmingham. Birmingham Crown Court was shown CCTV footage of an incident in South Yardley in September 2019. Sikander Ali, Aslat's son, was caught on camera arriving home in his black SUV. The video then shows a person wearing a face covering, who the prosecution said was Betro, pulling out a firearm and approaching Ali before the gun jammed at point-blank range. Ali then quickly reversed his SUV off the road, clipping the door of the Mercedes and damaging it so it would not close. After the botched assassination attempt, Betro allegedly returned to the property in a taxi and fired three times at the house, smashing several windows. Mr Walkling added: "On the seventh of September 2019 in a suburban cul de sac in South Yardley a would-be assassin tried to shoot a man called Sikander Ali at close range outside his house. "The assassin was a woman who tried to disguise her appearance by wearing a niqab - a face covering - and what looked like a burka." 11 The firearms offence is alleged to have been committed on September 8 2019, while the ammunition smuggling charge relates to a period between September 12 and October 23, 2019. She later dumped the Mercedes and police found a black glove with Betro's DNA inside, the court heard. "Further proof if any was needed ... that she was the gunwoman in the burka," Mr Walkling claimed. Six minutes later she was again caught on CCTV shown to the jury from close to where the car was dumped wearing a summer dress, hoodie and flip flops and carrying two bags. Mr Walkling added that 'revenge was the motive' after Nazir and Aslam were injured during a disorder at Aslat's clothing boutique in Birmingham in July 2018, which led them to conspire to have someone kill him or a member of his family. Betro was extradited from Armenia and arrested at Gatwick Airport earlier this year by National Crime Agency officers, the jury was told. Betro's two co-conspirators, Mohammed Nazir and his father, Mohammed Aslam both from Derby, were convicted and jailed last year. Both were convicted of conspiracy to murder while Nazir was also convicted of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. Horror moment gunman opens fire during pub brawl and shoots landlady as she tries to break up fight Betro, appeared in the dock on Monday wearing black glasses, a maroon top and a colourful beach shirt with bright pink Converse trainers. The American, whose hair was styled in two "pace buns" on top of her head, denies all charges against her. Betro is also accused of sending a text to Ali's father which said: 'Where are you hiding? … Stop playing hide and seek' and 'Come and meet me, I'm at Asda,' the court was told. Mr Walkling said: 'This case is about three incidents. An attempted shooting of a man outside his home, the shooting of bullets through the windows of that home, and the posting of illegal bullets from the USA to the UK." Mr Walkling said Betro was in contact with Nazir before she flew to Manchester Airport in August 2019. He said Betro had two phones - a normal "day to day" phone which she used regularly - and a "dirty phone" - bought before the shooting. Jurors were told that on August Betro also went to Birmingham and hired a Mercedes C Class car from Enterprise at Birmingham Airport. The car was later involved in a three car collision in Derby with Mohammed Nazir and another woman. Both later received insurance payouts, the court heard. She then stayed at a hotel in Derby for two nights before travelling to London and Brighton before returning to Birmingham and then back to Derby. The court was played a video clip - from Nazir's phone - showing a gun being fired into the ground three days before the attempted shooting in Birmingham which prosecutors said was a bid to "test" the weapon. The trial is expected to last four weeks. 11 11 11
