Latest news with #Betro
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- The Irish 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 CCTV footage shown to the jury captures a person brandishing a pistol, attempting to shoot Sikander Ali Credit: SWNS 11 Birmingham Crown Court captures the individual firing three shots into the property Credit: SWNS 11 CCTV footage allegedly captures Aimee Betro with her head covered Credit: SWNS 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. Read More in UK News 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. Most read in The Sun 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 Betro is standing trial but denies all charges 11 Video allegedly capturing Aimee Betro with luggage Credit: SWNS 11 Three shots were fired into the two upstairs bedrooms of a property in Birmingham Credit: SWNS 11 CCTV footage allegedly captures Aimee Betro purchasing a mobile phone prior to the shootings Credit: SWNS 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 CCTV footage allegedly captures Aimee Betro with luggage Credit: SWNS 11 Betro is now on trial Credit: SWNS 11 Mohammed Nazir was found guilty of conspiracy to murder last year Credit: SWNS 11 His father Mohammed Aslam was also found guilty of conspiracy to murder Credit: SWNS
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Moment US ‘hitwoman wearing burka disguise tries to shoot dead Birmingham shop owner in botched assassination plot'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) 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. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 11 CCTV footage shown to the jury captures a person brandishing a pistol, attempting to shoot Sikander Ali Credit: SWNS 11 Birmingham Crown Court captures the individual firing three shots into the property Credit: SWNS 11 CCTV footage allegedly captures Aimee Betro with her head covered Credit: SWNS 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. Read More in UK News TRAGIC UPDATE Body found in lake confirmed as missing mum-of-3, 38, after vanishing on jog 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 Betro is standing trial but denies all charges 11 Video allegedly capturing Aimee Betro with luggage Credit: SWNS 11 Three shots were fired into the two upstairs bedrooms of a property in Birmingham Credit: SWNS 11 CCTV footage allegedly captures Aimee Betro purchasing a mobile phone prior to the shootings Credit: SWNS 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 CCTV footage allegedly captures Aimee Betro with luggage Credit: SWNS 11 Betro is now on trial Credit: SWNS 11 Mohammed Nazir was found guilty of conspiracy to murder last year Credit: SWNS
Rhyl Journal
3 days ago
- Rhyl Journal
Would-be assassin in a niqab failed in murder plot after gun jammed, court told
Aimee Betro, 45, is alleged to have flown from Wisconsin in the US as part of a plot orchestrated by co-conspirators Mohammed Aslam, 59, and Mohammed Nabil Nazir, 31, to attack a rival family on September 7 2019. Father and son Aslam and Nazir, of Elms Avenue in Derby, were jailed at Birmingham Crown Court in November last year for their part in the plot but Betro flew back to the US days after the bungled assassination attempt and was later extradited to the UK. Appearing on Monday at the same court as her co-conspirators did, Betro, who wore pink leggings and her hair in space buns in the dock, listened as prosecution counsel Tom Walkling KC told a jury of six men and six women that the attempted assassination was the culmination of a long-running 'vendetta' involving the family of Aslat Mahumad in Birmingham. Mr Walkling said 'revenge was the motive' after Nazir and Aslam were injured during disorder at Mr Mahumad's clothing boutique in Birmingham in July 2018, which led them to conspire to have someone kill him or a member of his family. It is believed Mr Mahumad was the target of the attempted shooting on September 7 2019, and Betro lay in wait in a BMW she had bought earlier that day outside his family home in Measham Grove, Birmingham, the court was told. After around 45 minutes, Mr Mahumad's son Sikander Ali arrived home, and CCTV of the moment the would-be assassin, with face covered, approached him and fired the gun at point-blank was shown to the jury. After the gun jams, Mr Ali manages to escape by reversing his SUV out of the road, clipping the car door of the BMW and damaging it so badly it would no longer close. After the failed assassination attempt, Betro allegedly returned to the scene in a taxi hours later in the early hours of September 8 and fired three shots through the windows of Mr Mahumad's family home, which was empty at the time. Before she is alleged to have returned to the scene to use the now-working gun to fire bullets into the house, Betro is said to have used a cheap phone she had purchased to send messages to Mr Mahumad including: 'Where are you hiding?', 'stop playing hide and seek, you are lucky it jammed' and asking him to meet her at a nearby Asda. The damaged Mercedes was later found dumped, by members of Mr Mahumad's family and then the police, and inside was a black glove with Betro's DNA on it, Mr Walkling said. The court heard Betro, who had flown into the UK on August 22 2019, was back at Manchester Airport by 1.30pm on September 8, and flew back to the US the next day. The trial continues.
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Daily Mirror
American 'assassin' Aimee Betro travelled to UK to carry out shooting, court hears
Aimee Betro, from Wisconsin, was disguised in a niqab and burkha when she tried to kill her intended victim in Birmingham, it is claimed. Jurors were told the plot failed when the gun jammed. An alleged female 'assassin' travelled from the US to carry out a shooting outside a family home in Birmingham as part of a "vendetta", a court heard. The plot failed after Aimee Betro's gun jammed when she pulled the trigger metres away from the intended victim, it is claimed. The 45-year-old was disguised in a niqab when she carried out the attempted hit in September 2019, jurors were told. She allegedly returned to the house, in a quiet cul-de-sac, hours later and fired shots into two bedroom windows. Betro was in a three-way conspiracy with Mohammed Nazir and his dad Mohammed Aslam, prosecutors said. Birmingham crown court heard the two men wanted to murder clothing store owner Aslat Mahamud after a dispute. They were involved in a 'vendetta' and decided to carry out a killing as 'revenge' for an earlier incident, it is claimed. Prosecutor Tom Walkling KC said Betro flew from the US to Manchester two weeks before the attempted assassination. She allegedly bought a 'dirty' burner phone from Tesco two days before the hit in South Yardley. The following day she rang Mr Mahamud saying she was interested in buying a car he was selling, it is claimed. 'She was calling him as a pretext to set up a chance to kill him,' said Mr Walkling. Jurors were told she sat waiting for 45 minutes in a Mercedes outside Mr Mahamud's home dressed in a niqab and burkha Betro then tried to shoot his son Sikander Ali when he arrived at the property, the court heard. 'The assassin was a woman who disguised her appearance by wearing a niqab, a face covering, and what looked like a burkha,' said Mr Walkling. 'She had waited for someone to go into that house. When they did she pulled out a gun, a pistol, and pulled the trigger. She was only metres away from the intended victim. But the gun jammed, it failed to fire.' Mr Walkling said Mr Ali jumped back into his car and sped away from the scene after surviving the hit. Betro later allegedly texted his dad asking 'where are you hiding?' and saying 'stop playing hide and seek, you're lucky it jammed'. She then went back to the family's home and opened fire, Mr Walkling said. 'The gunwoman wasn't deterred. She returned to the same address on the same cul-de-sac a few hours later,' he added. 'She used the now-working gun to shoot three bullets through the bedroom windows of the victim's home.' A black glove with the American's DNA on it was later found inside the abandoned Mercedes, jurors were told. Betro left the UK two days after the botched hit, it is claimed. Nazir, 30, and his 56-year-old dad, both from Derby, have already been convicted of conspiracy to murder. Nazir has also been found guilty of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, the court heard. Betro, from Wisconsin, denies conspiracy to murder and possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. She also denies sending bullets from the US to the UK.
The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- The Herald Scotland
Would-be assassin in a niqab failed in murder plot after gun jammed, court told
Father and son Aslam and Nazir, of Elms Avenue in Derby, were jailed at Birmingham Crown Court in November last year for their part in the plot but Betro flew back to the US days after the bungled assassination attempt and was later extradited to the UK. Appearing on Monday at the same court as her co-conspirators did, Betro, who wore pink leggings and her hair in space buns in the dock, listened as prosecution counsel Tom Walkling KC told a jury of six men and six women that the attempted assassination was the culmination of a long-running 'vendetta' involving the family of Aslat Mahumad in Birmingham. Aimee Betro appeared at Birmingham Crown Court (Rui Vieira/PA) Mr Walkling said 'revenge was the motive' after Nazir and Aslam were injured during disorder at Mr Mahumad's clothing boutique in Birmingham in July 2018, which led them to conspire to have someone kill him or a member of his family. It is believed Mr Mahumad was the target of the attempted shooting on September 7 2019, and Betro lay in wait in a BMW she had bought earlier that day outside his family home in Measham Grove, Birmingham, the court was told. After around 45 minutes, Mr Mahumad's son Sikander Ali arrived home, and CCTV of the moment the would-be assassin, with face covered, approached him and fired the gun at point-blank was shown to the jury. After the gun jams, Mr Ali manages to escape by reversing his SUV out of the road, clipping the car door of the BMW and damaging it so badly it would no longer close. After the failed assassination attempt, Betro allegedly returned to the scene in a taxi hours later in the early hours of September 8 and fired three shots through the windows of Mr Mahumad's family home, which was empty at the time. Before she is alleged to have returned to the scene to use the now-working gun to fire bullets into the house, Betro is said to have used a cheap phone she had purchased to send messages to Mr Mahumad including: 'Where are you hiding?', 'stop playing hide and seek, you are lucky it jammed' and asking him to meet her at a nearby Asda. The damaged Mercedes was later found dumped, by members of Mr Mahumad's family and then the police, and inside was a black glove with Betro's DNA on it, Mr Walkling said. The court heard Betro, who had flown into the UK on August 22 2019, was back at Manchester Airport by 1.30pm on September 8, and flew back to the US the next day. The trial continues.
