A Wisconsin woman who took a transatlantic detour into the world of contract killing has been handed a 30-year prison sentence in Britain after the gun jammed at the crucial moment. Aimee Betro, 45, was convicted of conspiracy to murder and other crimes earlier this month, after a failed attempt to assassinate Sikander Ali outside his Birmingham home on Sept. 7, 2019. Betro, dressed in an Islamic veil, aimed a handgun at Ali, only for her weapon to jam inches from his face. Ali escaped, and Betro later returned to spray his home with bullets, with no injuries reported. "Had the gun not jammed, I have no doubt you would have shot and killed Mr. Ali," the judge said Thursday, per the New York Times.
Judge Simon Drew said Betro was recruited to take part in the planned "execution" by her British boyfriend, Mohammed Nazir, whom she met on a dating website. Nazir and his father, both already serving sentences, had plotted revenge against a rival family with whom they'd tangled since a 2018 fight in a clothing store. The original target was Ali's father, Mohammed Aslat, but when he declined to meet, the crosshairs switched to Ali.
After the botched hit, Betro and Nazir fled to the US and attempted to pin the crime on an innocent man, going so far as to mail him ammunition and tip off police, Drew said, per the Times. While Nazir was arrested upon return to the UK in October 2019, Betro vanished for nearly five years, ultimately surfacing in Armenia before being extradited to the UK. Her lawyer described the plot as "amateurish," noting Betro's clean record and her remorseful letter to the court. The judge speculated Betro's involvement was less about cash and more about "infatuation or love." He added Betro is in for a long prison sentence, far from her family and friends back in the US, as parole is only possible after 20 years.
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