An American woman allegedly dressed in Islamic religious clothing attempted to shoot dead a Birmingham shopkeeper outside his home before returning hours later to fire three shots through his window, a court has heard. Aimee Betro, 45, from Wisconsin, appeared at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday charged with conspiracy to murder, firearms offences, and illegal importation of ammunition.
Prosecutors allege Betro was hired by two Derby men already convicted of the murder plot to kill clothing store owner Sikander Ali and his family in September 2019. The court heard dramatic CCTV footage allegedly shows Betro approaching Mr Ali’s car wearing a niqab and burka, but her gun jammed allowing him to escape.
Opening the prosecution case, Tom Walking KC told jurors: “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 tried to disguise her appearance by wearing a niqab – a face covering – and what looked like a burka.”
International Arrest After Five-Year Manhunt
Betro’s appearance in court follows her arrest in Armenia last July after a five-year international manhunt. The 45-year-old was detained in a dawn raid at a rented apartment on the outskirts of Yerevan, Armenia’s capital, where she had been living under the radar.
An international arrest request was issued by UK authorities on 18 June 2024, executed by Armenian police on 2 July. She was extradited to Britain in January 2025 after appearing in Armenian courts.
Betro appeared in the dock wearing black glasses, a maroon top, and a colourful beach shirt with bright pink Converse trainers. Her hair was styled in two “space buns” on top of her head. She denies all three charges against her.
Revenge Plot Following Shop Dispute
The court heard the alleged murder plot stemmed from a violent dispute at a Birmingham clothing store in July 2018. Mohammed Nazir, 30, and his father Mohammed Aslam, 56, both from Derby, sustained injuries during the altercation at the shop owned by Aslat Mahumad, Sikander Ali’s father.
“This is the background to the shooting and attempted shooting outside Aslat Mahumad’s house the following year,” Mr Walking told the jury. He said the only connection between the convicted men and the victims was this earlier dispute.
Both Nazir and Aslam have already been convicted of conspiracy to murder following a trial in June 2024. Nazir received a 32-year sentence whilst Aslam was jailed for 10 years. Nazir was additionally convicted of possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, perverting the course of justice, and illegally importing firearms.
Alleged Assassination Attempts
Prosecutors allege Betro flew from Chicago to Manchester via Atlanta on 22 August 2019, arriving in the UK 16 days before the shooting. The court heard she hired a Mercedes C Class at Birmingham Airport and stayed at hotels in Derby, Birmingham, London, and Brighton.
Mr Walking said Betro contacted Mr Mahumad pretending to be interested in buying a car he was selling online. “Mr Mahumad recalls being called by a woman with an American accent… He was confused, as he hadn’t listed his number online,” the prosecutor told jurors.
On 7 September, Betro allegedly bought another car, a Mercedes E240, from a garage in Alum Rock. The seller described the buyer as “a short, fat woman, who spoke with an American accent, wore a summer dress, and had a bag over her shoulder,” the court heard.
Gun Jamming Saves Victim
CCTV footage played to the court allegedly shows Betro waiting in the Mercedes on Measham Grove for more than 45 minutes. When Sikander Ali arrived home at 9.10pm, prosecutors say she approached his SUV and attempted to fire at head height, but the gun jammed.
“Mercifully and luckily for him, the gun jammed,” Mr Walking said. The victim was able to reverse away at speed, clipping the Mercedes’ door as he escaped.
Police later found a black glove containing Betro’s DNA inside the abandoned Mercedes. “Further proof if any was needed … that she was the gunwoman in the burka,” Mr Walking told jurors.
Return Attack and Threatening Messages
The court heard Betro returned to her hotel, changed clothes, and came back to Measham Grove hours later. CCTV allegedly shows a figure matching her description firing three shots into the family home.
“Ladies and gentlemen the gun didn’t jam that time did it?” Mr Walking said. Three bullets went through windows of the property, with two penetrating the bay window and one hitting a bedroom window.
Prosecutors allege Betro sent threatening text messages to the victims. One message shown to jurors read: “Where are you hiding?” followed by “Stop playing hide and seek you are lucky it jammed.”
Another text allegedly sent after the shooting stated: “you wanna rip me off you wanna be a drug king go look at your house watch your back i’ll be shedding blood.”
Testing the Weapon
The jury was shown video footage from Nazir’s phone allegedly showing a gun being fired into the ground three days before the attempted shooting. Mr Walking said the metadata shows it was created on 4 September 2019, three minutes before Nazir added Betro’s Snapchat details to his phone.
“You have to ask yourself was Betro there with Nazir testing this gun?” the prosecutor asked jurors. He said the firearm fired the same calibre ammunition that police recovered from outside the victim’s home.
The court heard Betro used two phones – a regular “day to day” phone and a “dirty phone” bought before the shooting. Mobile phone data allegedly showed her phone connected to Nazir’s wireless network on the day of the shooting.
Flight from Justice
Betro flew back to the United States from Manchester Airport on 9 September 2019, two days after the alleged murder attempts. Nazir joined her in America three days later, the court was told.
Before leaving, Betro had allegedly contacted Virgin airlines attempting to change flight documents so Nazir could travel with her, but failed in this attempt.
West Midlands Police Detective Inspector Matt Marston said after Nazir and Aslam’s conviction: “This was a complex and protracted investigation. The lengths they went to in trying to make sure they weren’t implicated in pulling the trigger are immense.”
Denies All Charges
Betro has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to murder Aslat Mahumad and members of his family between 21 August and 10 September 2019. She also denies possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence on 8 September 2019.
A third charge relates to being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of ammunition between 12 September and 23 October 2019.
The trial, expected to last several weeks, continues before Judge Andrew Smith KC.
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