American Woman Rejects Involvement in Alleged Birmingham Conspiracy to Murder

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An American woman standing trial for her alleged role in a 2019 attempted murder in Birmingham has denied any involvement, telling the court she was unaware of any plot and had never handled a firearm.

Aimee Betro, 45, from West Allis, Wisconsin, is facing multiple charges at Birmingham Crown Court, including conspiracy to murder, possession of a self-loading pistol, and unlawful importation of ammunition. The accusations stem from a failed shooting incident in the Yardley area of Birmingham in September 2019, during a trip she took to the United Kingdom.

Prosecutors from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the principal public prosecuting authority for criminal cases in England and Wales, allege that Betro was part of a plan organised by Mohammed Aslam, 56, and his son, Mohammed Nabil Nazir, 31, to target Sikander Ali as part of an ongoing family feud. It is claimed that Betro, wearing a niqab to hide her identity, attempted to shoot Mr Ali at close range outside his home on Measham Grove. The firearm, however, reportedly malfunctioned, allowing the intended victim to flee. Betro is said to have left the UK two days later, departing via Manchester Airport.

In her testimony, Betro firmly denied the allegations. Under questioning from her defence counsel, Paul Lewis KC (King’s Counsel), she told the jury: “It wasn’t me,” insisting she had no connection to the incident. She claimed not to know Mr Ali or his family and said she would never agree to a violent act. Betro explained she had come to the UK to celebrate her birthday and attend a boat party, having met Mr Nazir through a dating app.

Describing her whereabouts on the day of the alleged offence, Betro stated she had spent the day with a friend who worked for a music streaming company, along with his colleagues, in Birmingham city centre. “We just went out, just around the centre. I don’t know where we went. I don’t know the names,” she told the court. She denied owning or purchasing a vehicle reportedly linked to the incident and rejected witness claims that she matched the description of a woman with an American accent and a heavy build.

Betro also disputed the prosecution’s claim that she was the individual seen on closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage wearing a niqab, maintaining she remained in the city centre the entire time.

The court had earlier heard that Aslam and Nazir, both residents of Elms Avenue in Derby, were convicted in 2023 for orchestrating the attack. The motive was said to be a simmering dispute with the intended victim’s father, Aslat Mahumad, which had escalated after a violent altercation in July 2018 at Mahumad’s clothing shop, during which both Aslam and Nazir sustained injuries.

Betro continues to maintain her innocence on all charges. The trial remains ongoing.