US woman Aimee Betro found guilty of conspiracy to murder Birmingham shop owner

Published

2 days ago

August 12, 2025

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A would-be assassin who flew from the US to kill a Birmingham shop owner as part of a violent feud has been found guilty of conspiracy to murder.

Birmingham Crown Court heard how Aimee Betro, 45, flew from the US to murder shopkeeper Sikander Ali at point-blank range outside his home in the Yardley area of the city in September 2019.

Prosecutors alleged that Betro hid her identity using a niqab when she tried to shoot Mr Ali – but the gun jammed, allowing him to flee.

Betro – originally from Wisconsin – was part of a plot orchestrated by co-conspirators Mohammed Nabil Nazir, 31, and his father, Mohammed Aslam, 56, who were in a violent feud with Mr Ali’s family.

During her trial, Betro said she had travelled to the UK on two previous occasions, having met Nazir on a dating app.

Asked why she had paid a third visit to the UK, arriving at Manchester Airport from Atlanta around two weeks before the shooting, Betro told jurors: “To celebrate my birthday, and I won tickets for another boat party in London.”

The court was shown CCTV of Betro waiting for 45 minutes outside Mr Ali’s house on the night of 7 September 2019.

As Mr Ali arrived home, Betro approached him with a firearm, but the gun failed to fire. Mr Ali is seen jumping back into his car and reversing away, clipping Betro’s driver’s side door in the process.

The court heard Betro then goaded Mr Ali’s father, Aslat Mahumad, with whom her co-conspirators had a feud, through text messages 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.

Jurors were told co-conspirators Nazir and Aslam had been injured during disorder at Mr Mahumad’s clothing boutique in Birmingham in July 2018, leading them to conspire to have someone kill him or a member of his family.

In the early hours of the next morning and just hours after the failed shooting, Betro booked a taxi and returned to Mr Ali’s home, where she fired three shots at the property, which was empty at the time.

She then fled back to the US the next day before becoming involved in another of Nazir’s plots to get revenge on a rival.

Prosecutors also said Betro sent three parcels full of ammunition and gun parts to the UK on 16 October 2019.

The court heard the parts, which were wrapped in foil and paper inside three cardboard boxes, were addressed to a man from Derby, with Nazir tipping off the police with the intent to frame him.

While the packages were intercepted and the man arrested as part of what the prosecution said was Nazir’s “devious scheme”, his involvement in the plan eventually came to light, and he was released without charge.

Betro, it said, was seen at a post office 100 miles away from her home address in the US posting the parcels under a fake name.

In the case of each of those three packages, Betro’s DNA has been found on the gun parts and ammunition inside them.

Betro had claimed it was all a coincidence, saying the woman on the CCTV was another American who looked, dressed and sounded like her.

It was alleged that Betro was in Armenia when Nazir and Aslam were jailed for 32 years and 10 years respectively in November 2024, but was extradited in January this year to face her own criminal proceedings.

Jurors deliberated for almost 21 hours before convicting Betro of conspiracy to murder, possessing a self-loading pistol with intent to cause fear of violence, and a charge of illegally importing ammunition.

She was found guilty by majority verdicts on the conspiracy to murder and firearm charges, and by a unanimous verdict on the ammunition charge.

Speaking to Sky News, Detective Chief Inspector Alastair Orencas, from West Midlands Police’s Major Crime Unit, called Betro’s crime “a brazen attempt,” adding that there “doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of effort to avoid detection”.

“I think she fell foul of a really slick, dynamic law enforcement operation over here,” he said.

“I don’t know whether that was her perspective from America, that that’s how we operate, but zero tolerance around firearms, criminality on these shores.”

Betro was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on 21 August.

Hannah Sidaway, specialist prosecutor from the Crown Prosecution Service in the West Midlands, said: “Only Betro knows what truly motivated her or what she sought to gain from becoming embroiled in a crime that meant she travelled hundreds of miles from Wisconsin to Birmingham to execute an attack on a man she did not know.”

UK

Mosquito bite warning after rise in chikungunya cases in travellers returning to UK

Published

2 hours ago

August 14, 2025

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Mosquito bite warning after rise in chikungunya cases in travellers returning to UK

Travellers are being warned about mosquito bites on holiday after a rise in chikungunya infections in people returning to the UK.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) also said the first cases of the emerging oropouche virus had been recorded.

Chikungunya typically causes sudden fever and joint pain, which can be debilitating, and lasts from a few days to weeks.

The name comes from a word in a Tanzanian language meaning “that which bends up”, owing to the joint pain associated with it.

Most people recover but in some cases the symptoms can last several months or even years.

It’s spread by mosquito bites in tropical and subtropical regions, and most of the 73 cases reported in the UK so far this year were in London and linked to travel to Sri Lanka, India, and Mauritius.

Only 27 cases were reported in the same January to June period last year.

Chikungunya can’t spread directly from person to person – so if someone becomes ill in the UK, they can’t pass the infection on, and the mosquitos responsible aren’t present here.

Dr Philip Veal, consultant in public health at the UKHSA, said it can be a “nasty disease” and the increase in cases was “worrying”.

“It is essential to take precautions against mosquito bites when travelling,” he said.

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“Simple steps, such as using insect repellent, covering up your skin and sleeping under insecticide-treated bed nets can greatly reduce the risk.”

Chikungunya is mainly found in Asia and Africa, but cases have been reported in Europe and North America this year.

Two vaccines to guard against the infection are available in the UK from private travel clinics.

The first cases of the Oropouche virus have also been confirmed in Britain, according to the UKHSA.

It’s spread by midge and mosquito bites and the three cases are all linked to travel to Brazil.

Oropouche was first identified in Trinidad and Tobago in the 1950s and had been mainly confined to the Amazon area.

However, cases have been increasing since 2023 and have shown up in places such as the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Peru.

Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, nausea and vomiting.

Anyone who gets such symptoms after being in Central and South America or the Caribbean is advised to get urgent medical advice.

Most people recover on their own, but it can cause severe disease in the very elderly or those with a weak immune system.

UK

Man staying at hotel that has been focus of protests denies sexual assault charge

Published

2 hours ago

August 14, 2025

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Man staying at hotel that has been focus of protests denies sexual assault charge

A man staying at a hotel that has been the focus of a series of protests has denied a charge of sexual assault and faces a trial next month.

Mohammed Sharwarq, a 32-year-old Syrian national, was arrested after police were called to the Bell Hotel on the Epping High Road in Essex yesterday, police said.

Sharwarq, who is alleged to have kissed a man on the neck, indicated a plea of not guilty to a charge of sexual assault at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court today.

He indicated guilty pleas to six further charges concerning four complainants – with two counts of common assault and four of assault by beating.

Sharwarq is alleged to have punched a man in the face, thrown an object at a man, slapped a third man in the face and attempted to punch a fourth.

Sky News understands the alleged offences took place inside the hotel between 25 July and 12 August.

District judge Lynette Woodrow remanded Sharwarq, who was assisted in court by an Arabic interpreter, in custody until his trial on 30 September.

The arrest followed weeks of protests outside the hotel.

Neil Hudson, the Conservative MP for Epping Forest, said last month that the protests were a crisis that “risks boiling over”.

UK

UEFA Super Cup: Spurs let slip 2-0 lead to lose to PSG on penalties

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2 hours ago

August 14, 2025

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UEFA Super Cup: Spurs let slip 2-0 lead to lose to PSG on penalties

Tottenham let slip a two-goal lead before losing a penalty shootout to Paris St Germain (PSG) in the final of the UEFA Super Cup.

Spurs defenders Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero scored from set pieces to put the north London side on their way to winning the trophy, in what was manager Thomas Frank’s first game in charge.

However, Champions League winners PSG, who were thrashed in the Club World Cup final by Chelsea last month, produced a stunning response after Kang-in Lee pulled one back with five minutes left.

PSG striker Goncalo Ramos, who was brought on in the 77th minute, forced the game to penalties after scoring a header in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

The Super Cup final, played each year between the winners of the Champions League and Europa League, does not feature extra time – meaning the game went straight to spot kicks.

Europa League winners Tottenham initially had the advantage when Vitinha missed PSG’s first kick – but it was followed by Van de Ven and Mathys Tel failing to score their penalties.

PSG, managed by Luis Enrqiue, went on to win 4-3.

The PSG players poured on to the pitch in celebration, knowing they had etched their names into history as the first French side to lift the trophy.

“It’s incredible to win like this. This team once again showed character, even if we’re not at our physical best,” PSG defender Marquinhos said.

“We managed to get the goals we needed through the substitutions, and in the shootout we have players who take their penalties well and a goalkeeper who helped us.”

Tottenham, who finished 17th in the Premier League last season, were unable to win what would have been their second trophy in 17 years – with the first one coming when they beat Manchester United in Europe’s second-tier competition in May.