Latest news with #vendetta
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Daily Mail
Knifed in the legs, stripped naked then shot in the head: The Reservoir Dogs-style execution that sparked a bloody tit for tat Irish gang war on the Costa Blanca
John George's death was so gruesome it could have been a scene from a Quentin Tarantino movie: first he was stabbed in the legs so he couldn't run away then repeatedly beaten before finally being shot in the face and chest. His broken, lifeless body was then dumped in an isolated Spanish lemon grove where, even though it was December, the sun was still warm enough that when the father-of-two's body was finally discovered in early January, it was so decomposed that his devastated family were unable to have an open casket at his funeral back home in Northern Ireland. George's murder came just a few days after he left his Belfast home and flew to the Costa Blanca, a magnet for many British and Irish tourists thanks to its home from home atmosphere of pubs, fish and chip shops and curry restaurants. Watering holes such as The Randy Leprechaun, Paddy's Point and Murphy's Sports Tavern serving Guinness and other Irish beers, provide a reassuring link with the old country back home. But apart from the tourists, the area is increasingly being targeted by organised crime gangs, many of them from Ireland, both north and south. And some of their rivalries are having a terrifying impact on the Costa Blanca, particularly since the murder of John George which set off a wave of tit for tat vendettas attacks. In the last three months alone there have been two attempted murders - one local police believe directly connected to the death of Mr George - and a massive 84 kilo cocaine bust involving the arrest of A source on the Costa Blanca with knowledge of the local crime scene told MailOnline: 'There has been an increase in serious incidents involving Irish and Northern Irish in the area not only as victims, but also as alleged perpetrators. 'These events have raised concerns within the local community and suggest a worrying trend of escalating violence and a disturbing pattern, linked to individuals from Ireland, both north and south. 'While the authorities have not officially confirmed any broader connections, the nature, severity and frequency of these events – along with the individuals involved – have led many to speculate that we're seeing the signs of organised criminal structures taking root here. 'Locals have begun referring to it as an 'open secret' that elements of the Irish underworld are becoming increasingly active on the Costa Blanca. 'The word on the street here is that the Irish mafia is trying to establish a foothold in this region, using the area's anonymity, relaxed atmosphere, and the international mix of residents as cover. An ex-pat Irish gangster can blend in easily here.' But let us return to Mr George. The 37-year-old last contacted his family at their home in Twinbrook, west Belfast, on December 14, when his father, who readily admits his son was 'no angel' urged him to come home. Four days after the last phone call, in which Mr George told his mother he 'loved her' and would 'see ya soon' he was reported missing. His heartbroken father Billy George spent last Christmas with family and friends looking for his son around the Spanish neighbourhood before that horrible discovery in the lemon grove. Mr George told MailOnline: 'No one deserves to die like that. He was treated like a dog. It was horrible and all we want now is justice.' He said of his son:' He was no angel, but he was a good lad, he loved his kids and they will now grow up without their father. We told him to come back because we didn't like the crowd he was keeping but he said he would be fine. 'I think he was killed the same day we spoke with him - December 14. 'We reported him missing four days later, and I went out to Spain and spent three and a half weeks later we found him but I think his body had been moved. 'We were hearing all sorts of false information from people who were saying they wanted to help but they weren't they were hindering, and these people also knew more than they were letting on.' Mr George had spent time in Spain with a known drug dealer known as Jonny Smyth, 26, also from Northern Ireland and a Czech man called Michal Maly, a former member of the French Foreign Legion. Pictures on Smyth's social media show him living the high life in Spain, with fast cars, fast motorbikes, luxury watches and highly desirable apartments, apparently funded through a cannabis shop he ran in Benidorm. Smyth was eventually identified by Spanish police as a suspect for the murder and eventually arrested in Braga, Portugal, in March Before he was tracked down Smyth got married to his partner, Only Fans model Madison Allen, 19, in Gibraltar. Allen – who has a prolific social media profile illustrated with pictures of her mainly in bikinis – is not a suspect and is not being sought by Spanish authorities and continues to live in the country. And she has told followers as much. But what is concerning is just how they managed to marry in Gibraltar at the official residence of the governor known as The Convent, during an international manhunt when he was wanted for murder. After he was finally arrested Smyth was extradited back to Spain where he is currently in custody awaiting trial for murder. Michai Maly, 32, was picked up in the early stages of the investigation and is said to have provided false information to the family as to the whereabouts of Mr George's body before eventually tipping police off as to where he had been dumped. MailOnline visited the spot where he was found, an isolated country road in the countryside near the village of Rojales, amid lemon groves, around 45 minutes from where he was last seen. Mr George's body was found on January 7, dumped in that lemon grove which is in rural farmland a mile off the main road linking Rojales with Torrevieja. Police had been tipped off to its location by Maly and Mr George's father wants to know more about his dealings with the police. The isolated location where the body was found is close to a farm, and the land, which is popular with fly tippers, is owned by a man called Jose. Jose, who declined to give his surname such is the fear of gangland violence in the area, told MailOnline: 'The first I knew a body was there was when the police came to the house. They asked me if I had seen or heard anything, but I hadn't. 'When they showed me the location, I was shocked, I had seen blood on the road but assumed it was from an animal that had been run over. 'I walked past that spot every day and didn't smell or notice anything. I'm just so surprised - nothing like this has ever happened here. 'About a month later I met the dead man's brother. He came to see the spot and left some flowers, and I offered my condolences.' MailOnline can also reveal that security cameras, covering a small reservoir of water, point towards the road where the body was dumped but because of Spanish privacy laws they are pixelated. Police were also left empty handed and with no leads after retrieving the footage as it deletes itself after a fortnight. A few minutes away a small shrine has been made by friends and family with flowers and pictures of Mr George attached to a wire fence. The hot sun has faded the petals. A small stone has been left on the floor with the inscription that reads 'Special son. Always in my dreams. Forever in my heart.' The spot his body was found is around six miles from the apartment Mr George was staying in with Smyth at Orihuela Costa, when he arrived last December. The ground floor flat with swimming pool is owned by a British man and currently rented out to a family of Belgian holidaymakers who had no idea of what had happened there. A Dutch man who lives opposite told MailOnline: 'It's terrible what happened there. I remember the night he disappeared. 'There was a big party and there was lots of noise and fireworks, some of them were really loud and now we are thinking: 'Was that gunshots?' 'I remember the man who rented it covered with tattoos and his girlfriend as well, they were always having wild parties, every night loud noise and people coming and going. 'You don't have to be too clever to work out it was all to do with drugs. The police watched the house for a month after he disappeared, they were in a van. 'Everyone knew they were there, but I don't think anything came of it.' Police initially believed another man was involved in the murder of George and on social media, wild rumours circulated involving the brutal stabbing of Dan McMeekin, 29, another Irishman two months ago. Posts from Jonny Smyth's Instagram page advertising cannabis and poppers for sale He was slashed across the throat as he stopped to relieve himself after spending the night in a local Irish themed pub in Torrevieja and social media shows him to be a pal of Smyth and Maly and he also knew Mr George. As he stood in the dark by a small substation, he was attacked from behind with a box cutter – the pools of blood still visible on the pavement – before his attacker fled into the night. McMeekin is himself no stranger to crime, and is expected to testify in Mr George's eventual murder trial. He almost died in the attack - but was rushed to hospital where his life was saved by surgeons. Initially he refused to name his attacker but told police he knew him and a few days after the attack a 58-year-old man also from Ireland was later arrested and although his identity has not been revealed he is also said to be 'well known to police'. Mr George, 56, said: 'I'm sure Dan McMeekin knows something. I don't think he was there when my son was murdered but he's somehow connected, and someone was obviously trying to shut him up. 'There are people like McMeekin who know more than they are letting on and there's no doubt in my mind the attempt on his life was to silence him, he knew what was going to happen to John that night. 'From what I know there was some sort of argument that night between John and Smyth. 'My John was a boxer… he knew how to handle himself and he would have been able to take Smyth out. 'I think Smyth had help.' Mr George added:' All we want now is justice, I want whoever killed John to go behind bars for a long time, I don't want him out after just 12 or 13 years. 'Those involved are all scum bags, the lowest of the low, they took a loving father away from two boys aged 14 and seven and they should pay for that.' Lawyer Andrea Marin, who is representing the George family, told MailOnline: 'The investigation is closed, and the police are not looking for anyone else. 'I haven't been given access to the full files yet as there is a lot of paperwork to go through, I have to provide birth certificates for Mr George and his father, and this have to be translated and certified. 'Once all that is complete, I will have a clearer picture and can inform the family about when the trial is likely to happen, but it won't be until way after the summer. 'July and August are 'meses muertos' as we say in Spain, dead months. Everyone is away on holiday and everything is closed.' For Mr George Snr, the wounds are still raw. He said: 'It was one of John's kids' birthdays this week, 'I'd like to let the people who killed him know that. 'I had to take a card round to the house, because they wouldn't be getting one from their daddy…That was tough.'
The Sun
22-07-2025
- The 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 11 11 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. 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 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 11 11
Daily Mail
22-07-2025
- Daily Mail
'Hitwoman' disguised in burka accused of attempting to gun down shop owner
An American hitwoman dressed in a niqab and a burka tried to shoot dead a shopkeeper outside his home in Birmingham, UK, as part of a 'deadly' feud involving two families, a court heard. Video footage shown to jurors allegedly shows Aimee Betro, 45, pointing a firearm at her intended victim as he arrives home in a car but her gun jams and he manages to speed away. Hours later Betro returned to the victim's home and fired three shots through the window, Birmingham Crown Court was told. Betro, originally from Wisconsin appeared in the dock Monday. She denies three charges of conspiracy to murder, possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, and a charge related to the alleged importation of ammunition into the UK. Opening the case, Tom Walkling KC, prosecuting told jurors that Betro had been involved in a conspiracy with two other men as part of their vendetta against businessman Aslat Mahumad. Walkling said 'revenge was the motive' after Mohammed Nazir, 30, and Mohammed Aslam, 56, were injured during a clash at Muhamad's clothing store in July 2018. '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.' He told jurors the gun jammed but she was 'not deterred' and 'returned to the same address on the same street a few hours later and used the now-working gun to shoot three bullets through the bedroom windows of the victim's home.' The court was told her two co-onspirators Nazir and his father Aslam, from Derby, had already been tried and convicted over the plot. Both have been convicted of conspiracy to murder while Nazir was also convicted of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. 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' cell which she used regularly - and a 'dirty phone' - bought before the shooting. Walkling said the motive for the murder was 'revenge'. He said Nazir and Aslam were involved in a 'vendetta' with a family in Birmingham, specifically clothes shop owner called Mahumad, whose son was Sikander Ali. Both men lived at an address in Measham Grove, South Yardley where Betro allegedly tried to murder Ali and where she fired bullets through the window. The court heard that in July 2018 there was a disorder at Mahumad's shop which resulted in damage to the premises and Nazir, Aslam, and Aslat Mahumad all getting injured. Jurors were told that in August Betro went to Birmingham and hired a Mercedes C Class car from Enterprise at Birmingham Airport. She then stayed at a hotel in Derby for two nights before traveling 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. Walkling said: 'It's a firearm that fires the same caliber of ammunition that police recovered from outside the victim's home a few days after this video was made.' The 'metadata' for the clip shows it was created on September 4, 2019, the day Betro was in Derby and three minutes before Nazir added Betro's snapchat details into his phone. Walkling said to jurors: 'You have to ask yourself was Betro there with Nazir testing this gun? Other surveillance footage from Rotunda hotel in Birmingham shows Betro in a summer dress, hoodie, rucksack and flip flops. While at the hotel on September 6 she phoned Mahumad, claiming she wanted to buy the car he was selling online. Walkling said: 'Mr Mahumad recalls being called by a woman with an American accent... He was confused, as he hadn't listed his number online. 'The woman said she wanted to buy the car today, but Mr Mahumad said she could see it tomorrow. 'As I'm sure you have guessed, ladies and gentlemen, we say the woman with the American accent was this defendant, Aimee Betro, and that she was calling Mr Mahumad as a pretext to set up a chance to kill him. And who else could it be? she had the phone she bought it only hours before.' Later that night she met up with Nazir, who went with her to her hotel room where they ordered food before he traveled back to Derby with his father in their transit van. The following day she tried to kill Aslat Mahumad's son, jurors were told. The court heard she left the hotel and bought another cheap mobile phone and SIM card - all caught on CCTV. After buying a Mercedes using a false name, she called Mahumad once again on the pretext of looking at a car. Mahumad said he couldn't meet, and that she could meet someone else with the car the next day. Later that day she met with Nazir and Aslam with phone data showing her dirty phone connected to Nazir's wireless network. The Mercedes was later seen at the entrance to Measham Grove. Mr Walking said the driver 'appears to be wearing a face-covering, a niqab'. He said at 7.22pm hours, Betro drove onto Measham Grove and waited for her target. At 9.10pm Sikander Ali pulled onto Measham Grove in his black SUV which was all caught on camera. In video footage played to the court, a woman which the prosecution said was Betro, can be seen approaching the SUV and firing but the gun jams. She later dumped the Mercedes. Police found a black glove with Betro's DNA inside. 'Further proof if any was needed ... that she was the gunwoman in the burka',' Mr Walkling said. 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. Betro then sent text messages to her intended target, the court was told. Screenshots of the texts were shown to the jury. She said to him: 'Where are you hiding? followed by 'Stop playing hide and seek you are lucky it jammed'. Betro then called another taxi to take her back to Measham Grove. Jurors were show CCTV of a figure matching Betro's description firing three shots in to the family home. 'Ladies and gentlemen the gun didn't jam that time did it?' Mr Walkling said. 'Did you note, the hoodie, and the handbag worn across her body, just as Betro was dressed earlier. 'Three shots were fired. Three bullets went through the windows of Aslat Muhamad's family home. Three bullet casings were found in the street outside.' Walkling said Betro then got back into the taxi and during the journey she sent a text message to Mahumad which said: 'You wanna rip me off you wanna be a drug king go look at your house watch your back i'll be shedding blood'. She flew back to the U.S. the following day from Manchester Airport. Nazir flew out to join her three days later. The trial continues.
Telegraph
22-07-2025
- Telegraph
Would-be assassin dressed in niqab thwarted after gun jams, court told
A would-be assassin hiding under a niqab allegedly tried to shoot a rival at point-blank in a video released to a jury. 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 wore pink leggings and her hair in space buns in the dock. She 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, the court was told. After about 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 range 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. She denies conspiracy to murder, possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear or violence and smuggling of ammunition into the UK. The trial continues.
The Independent
21-07-2025
- The Independent
Would-be assassin in a niqab failed in murder plot after gun jammed, court told
A would-be assassin wearing a niqab tried to shoot a man at point-blank range as part of a 'violent' feud involving two families but the gun jammed, a court has heard. 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.
