Father and son hired American 'hitwoman' to murder British family in revenge attack

A father and son duo have been sentenced to a total of 42 years behind bars for their roles in a conspiracy to commit murder, after they hired an alleged female hitwoman from the USA to carry out a killing on British soil.

Mohammed Aslam and his son Mohammed Nazir enlisted the services of 44-year-old Aimee Betro, purportedly for a revenge attack in Birmingham. The plot fell apart when the gun malfunctioned during a bungled attempt to assassinate boutique clothing store owner Sikander Ali on the street, reports the Mirror.

Milwaukee-born Betro had taken a selfie with a devil horn filter the day before she allegedly attempted to kill the family. She also shared pictures of cocktails and boasted about meeting her "partner in crime" in Manchester.

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Following the unsuccessful murder attempt, Betro returned to a Birmingham home in a taxi and fired three shots at the house, a court heard. She also sent a taunting text message to Mr Ali's father, Aslat Mahamud, challenging him to "stop playing hide and seek" and questioning "where are you hiding?". After fleeing back to Chicago, UK authorities pursued Nazir, aged 56, and Aslam, aged 30, accusing them of being involved in the assassination plot.

Betro was eventually arrested in Armenia. At a trial held at Birmingham Crown Court in June, both Nazir and Aslam, from Derby, were found guilty of conspiracy to kill. Nazir was also found guilty of illegally importing firearms, perverting the course of justice, and possessing a firearm with the aim to provoke fear of violence.

Jurors were told that following a clash in a high-end clothing shop in 2018, which left both parties injured, the pair developed a grudge against Mr Ali's family. Fuelled by revenge, they conspired to murder the Birmingham businessman or target his relatives.

In sentencing, Judge Simon Drew KC said that the initial cause of the family feud was uncertain, though it might have been related to wedding attire. He added: "Aslam sustained a serious head injury and the result was there was considerable antagonism and resentment between the two families. I am quite satisfied that the serious incident in July 2018 was the motive and motivation for what took place in September 2019.

"The two of you planned a revenge attack on Mr Mahumad and his family. This was not a spontaneous reaction to events. In order to do that you recruited Aimee Betro, an American woman, who you, Nazir, appeared to have met and befriended some time before in what frankly would, had it been successful, have amounted to an execution. There is evidence to suggest that Betro was rewarded for taking part in it."

The judge also noted there seemed to be a connection between Nazir and Betro, adding that there was evidence the defendants had scouted the area prior to the attempted assassination and that Betro had waited a significant amount of time before confronting Mr Ali.

He said: "She was armed with a pistol probably supplied by you Nazir. When Mr Ali returned to his home CCTV footage recorded from a nearby property clearly shows Aimee Betro getting out of her car and approaching Mr Ali as he has got out of his car and at a distance, I would say, of six to seven yards then trying to shoot him. It did not discharge."

Judge Drew expressed that the intention had been to kill a member of the Mahumad family if not Aslat Mahamud himself and added: "It is only a matter of chance that Sikander Ali was not killed.

"It was at very close range, almost point blank."

He said that Nazir had also flown to the United States but returned a month later when he was arrested. Andrew Selby KC, defending Nazir, said during the incident in 2018 he had suffered a brain injury.

He said: "Many people speak highly of him. He has strong family and community ties and is hard working. This was wholly out of character."

Prosecutor Kevin Hegarty KC said the history between the defendants and the target date back to July 21, 2018, with a dispute at a jewellery shop belonging to the victim, where the front windows were broken, and the inside was 'trashed. ' When police arrived, Nazir and Aslam were alleged to have been standing in the rear doorway injured. Just three days later, their home in Derby was attacked.

Revenge fuelled their plot as they asked Betro to travel from the US, feigning interest in purchasing a car from Mr Mahamud. Describing the events of September 7, 2019, Mr Hegarty said Mr Ali found himself confronted outside a residence on September 7.

"As he was doing it, the potential killer emerged from the Mercedes' driver's side," he said. "It was a woman. As she left the Mercedes she left the driver's door open. She walked quite calmly towards Sikander Ali and was pointing a gun at him at head height. As she got closer to Sikander Ali, he saw her and he saw the gun and she pulled the trigger to fire the gun at him.

"Mercifully and luckily for him the gun jammed. He quickly reversed his car striking the open door of the Mercedes. The would-be assassin then ran back to the Mercedes and started to drive away. As she did so she tried to close the driver's door but could not do so."

Mr Hegarty said the assailant later took a taxi near the target's home, exiting but asking the driver to wait, and proceeded on foot to Measham Grove.

"She left the taxi but asked the driver to wait. She went on foot to Measham Grove. She stood more or less where (the man who she tried to shoot) had pulled up in his car the previous evening. She produced the gun. It might have been the same gun she had earlier. It might have been another. She took out the gun and took aim and then fired three shots in the direction of the house. In the process the bullets entered through the first floor window. The sound of the shots caused local dogs to bark."

The jury heard how 29-year-old Betro allegedly fled the UK, taking a taxi back to a McDonald's in Bordesley Green, before flying from Manchester to New York on September 9, and then onwards to Chicago, with no intention of returning. The court heard that Betro had previously contacted the intended target under the guise of purchasing a Volkswagen Golf, leading up to the assassination attempt.

The prosecutor claims she sent further messages saying 'who is it your family or you?' and 'pick one', as she told the target to meet her at an Asda.

Following the second incident, she allegedly messaged 'you want to rip me off, you want to be a drugs kingpin go look at your house. I will show you. Watch your back. I will be shedding blood soon'.

The target reportedly replied with confusion, saying: "What are you talking about? I'm a family man I have never sold drugs in my life."

Betro is thought to have entered the UK from America on August 22, 2019, and stayed at hotels across Manchester, Derby, London, Brighton, and Birmingham hotels prior to the attempted murder.

Today at Birmingham Crown Court, Mohammed Aslam, 56, and his son Mohammed Nazir, 30, faced their reckoning for their involvement in the conspiracy to murder. Nazir received a sentence of 32 years, while Aslam was sentenced to a decade behind bars.