Hijab-wearing hitwoman who ‘clumsily executed attempted British assassination’ was ‘arrested in Armenia’ after…

Jul 2, 2024, 19:24 | Updated: Jul 2, 2024, 19:27

An American woman accused of flying to Birmingham to carry out a contract killing while wearing a hijab has been arrested in Armenia.

Aimee Betro, 44, was accused of accepting the order to kill Sikander Ali, a clothing boutique owner, on the orders of her business rival Mohammed Aslam, 56, and his son Mohammed Nazir, 30.

But the gun jammed when she tried to shoot Mr Ali in the street in Measham Grove, Acocks Green, on September 7, 2019.

She is said to have fled back to the United States after her second attempt. To everyone’s surprise, she was arrested in a rented apartment on the outskirts of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.

Local police arrested Betro in Yerevan in a dawn raid during which she was led away in handcuffs, MailOnline reported.

She now faces extradition to the UK to face justice for the attempted attack she is accused of.

Read more: Father and son who hired hijab-wearing hitman to take revenge could face life in prison

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After the first attempted murder, the alleged hit woman returned to the Birmingham property in a taxi and fired three shots before texting Mr Ali’s father, Aslat Mahamud, saying: “Stop playing hide and seek” and “Where are you hiding?”

She returned to the United States two days after the failed assassination attempt.

Nazir and Aslam were found guilty of conspiracy to murder earlier this year after Birmingham Crown Court heard they had harboured a grudge against Mr Ali’s family following a violent row at his Birmingham clothing boutique on July 21, 2018.

Nazir was also convicted of possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, illegally importing a firearm and obstructing the course of justice. They will be sentenced in August.

Prosecutor Kevin Hegarty KC told the jury the Mercedes drove into Measham Grove and parked before Mr Ali drove the Audi to another address.

He said: “While he was doing this, the would-be killer got out of the driver’s side of the Mercedes.

“It was a woman. When she got out of the Mercedes, she left the driver’s door open.

“She walked quite calmly towards Sikander Ali, pointing the gun at him at the height of his head.

“As she approached Sikander Ali, he saw her and saw the gun. She pulled the trigger to shoot him.

“Fortunately, and fortunately for him, the gun jammed. He quickly reversed the car, hitting the open door of the Mercedes.

“The alleged killer then ran back to the Mercedes and drove away.

“She tried to close the driver’s door but couldn’t do it.

“She didn’t get far before abandoning the Mercedes, where it was later found, and hailed a taxi just before 9pm.”

“She didn’t get far, abandoned the Mercedes where it was later found, and called a taxi just before 9pm.

“Mr Hegarty said that in the early hours of the following morning the woman called the same company and took a taxi to go to Measham Grove again.

He added: “She took out a gun, it may have been the same gun.” She aimed and fired three shots at the house, then returned to a waiting taxi.

The jury heard that Betro bought the Mercedes from a Birmingham dealer after flying from Chicago to Manchester via Atlanta on August 22 – 16 days before the shooting

Before returning to the US, Betro contacted Virgin Airlines and tried to change her flight documents so Nazir could return with her, but was unsuccessful.

Now it has come to light that Betro, a former administrator for the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team who liked drinks and allegedly took a selfie with a devil horn effect the day before she tried to murder her family.

Detective Inspector Matt Marston, of West Midlands Police, said: “Aslam and Nazir decided to take revenge for the incident in which they were injured.

“The measures they have taken to make sure they are not involved in pulling the trigger are enormous.”

A police spokesman added: “The fact that no one died as a result of the actions of Aslam and Nazir is nothing more than a coincidence.”

“As a police service, we will do everything in our power to pursue those who intend to bring these weapons into our communities and bring them to justice.”