A 45-year-old American woman has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after attempting to shoot a man in Birmingham while wearing a niqab disguise.
Aimee Betro was flown to the UK in September 2019 by father-and-son duo Mohammed Aslam, 59, and Mohammed Nabil Nazir, 31, who orchestrated the plot as part of a vendetta against a rival family.
The pair wanted revenge against Aslat Mahumad after being attacked at his clothing boutique the previous year.
Betro waited outside the Mahumad family home on 7 September, targeting his son Sikander Ali.
CCTV footage shows her raising a gun at point-blank range, but it jammed, allowing Mr Ali to escape. She then fired three rounds into the empty house.
Betro returned to the US days later but was later extradited to the UK to face justice.
She was convicted of conspiracy to murder, possessing a self-loading pistol with intent to cause fear of violence, and illegally importing ammunition.
During her trial, Betro denied involvement, claiming she was in the UK for her birthday and a boat party.
She also suggested that another American woman with a similar appearance had carried out the plot.
The court heard she had met Nazir through a dating app and had an encounter with him in London between December 2018 and January 2019.
Prosecutors said she played a “leading role” in the attack, including sending parcels of gun parts and ammunition to the UK a month later, intended to frame a man named Faris Quayum.
Detective Chief Inspector Alastair Orencas said: “On the face of it, she appears to be a normal individual, but she was prepared to carry out an outrageous, audacious, and persistent murder.”
Betro, a childhood development and graphic design graduate, had no prior criminal record, a fact which authorities said made the case particularly shocking.
UK police said the case highlights the international dimension of some criminal networks and the risks posed when individuals are recruited to commit violent offences abroad.
The judge described the plot as “meticulously planned” and emphasised the gravity of the offence, citing the potential loss of life and the trauma inflicted on the intended victims.
Authorities praised the cooperation between US and UK law enforcement in extraditing Betro and bringing her to justice, stressing that cross-border criminal conspiracies will continue to be investigated rigorously.
