'Hijab assassin' Aimee Betro unmasked - hunt for woman behind botched Midland hitjob

The face of an alleged American 'assassin' who donned a hijab during a botched hit job in Birmingham has been revealed. Aimee Betro is suspected of pointing a gun at Sikander Ali outside his Acocks Green home in September 2019, only for her weapon to jam as she pulled the trigger.

The 44 year old Wisconsin native has become the focus of media scrutiny and an international 'woman hunt' following the conviction of father and son duo, Mohammed Aslam and Mohammed Nazir, for conspiracy to murder. Despite her notable absence from the dock, she was frequently mentioned during the trial at Birmingham Crown Court which concluded earlier this month.

National reports suggest that Betro has broken her silence on social media, dismissing the 'misinformation' about her and describing her situation as a 's**t show'. One friend alleges that she has admitted to her involvement in the attempted shooting but disputes 'some of the details'.

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Journalists have also located her mother at her trailer park residence in Wisconsin, where she disclosed that the FBI once came knocking, enquiring about her daughter. It has also emerged that she was reportedly fired from her job at the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team for using fans' credit cards to finance her overseas travels and hotel stays.

A collection of her social media videos, reportedly posted during her ill-fated trip to England in August and September 2019, appears to match the evidence of her movements presented to the Birmingham trial jury. The footage shows her flying into Manchester to meet her 'partner in crime', enjoying cocktails in Brighton, visiting the London Eye, and attending a boat party and music festival, reports Birmingham Live.

The Daily Mail reports that when a friend reached out to Betro on Facebook, she responded: 'Dude I saw like wtf I don't even know where to start with all the misinformation that's said about me', adding 'It's a f**king s**t show'.

She is believed to be somewhere in Asia, allegedly 'using her phone every day' to chat on Snapchat and 'taking pictures out of her apartment window'. An unnamed source claimed that Betro has confessed to her involvement in the hit job but has disputed 'some of the details'.

Friends who have known her for years are reportedly shocked by her apparent double life. One individual stated 'she's never fired a gun' in her life, while others described Betro as the 'nicest person in the world'.

However, her mother Jeanne Johnson, located at her trailer in Stevens Point, offered a different perspective. The estranged parent said: "I've been waiting for this day - either trouble or dead."

Ms Johnson, who was reportedly unaware of her daughter's involvement in the Birmingham assassination plot, expressed shock at the revelations during the trial. She stated that she hadn't seen her daughter in years and revealed to reporters that the FBI had previously sought her daughter for allegedly sending an illegal package, likely related to evidence that she posted firearm components to the UK as part of Mohammed Nazir's separate scheme to frame someone for gun smuggling.

Describing Betro as a 'pretty girl, very intelligent, very outgoing', Ms Johnson added, 'She's not dumb. She knows how to hide'.

The now-fugitive US citizen was frequently mentioned during the Birmingham trial.

The court heard that she flew into Manchester from the United States on 22 August 2019 and spent two weeks in the UK, visiting Birmingham, Derby, London and Brighton. CCTV footage showed a veiled woman driving a Mercedes into Measham Grove in Acocks Green on the evening of 7 September, where she confronted Sikander Ali outside his home.

In a statement, the victim described arriving in his Audi and seeing a woman in a hijab pointing a gun at him. He quickly got back in his car and fled in panic.

Prosecutors said Betro later texted his father Aslat Mahumad - possibly the real intended target of the assassination attempt - saying: 'Stop playing hide and seek you are lucky it jammed', seemingly referring to her failure to fire the weapon.

The court heard that Aslam and Nazir had been involved in a violent incident at Mr Mahumad's boutique shop on Alum Rock Road, Saltley, over a year earlier in June 2018. This led to their own address on Elms Avenue, Derby, being attacked in retaliation, potentially providing the motive for the botched assassination attempt.

The jury was shown significant evidence of phone contact between Nazir and numbers linked to Betro during her stay in England in 2019. CCTV also captured him visiting her at the Rotunda hotel the night before the attempted shooting.

It was further alleged that after Betro failed to kill Mr Ali, she returned to his home hours later and fired three bullets at the property, which was empty. It is believed she flew out of the UK to Chicago via New York within 48 hours.

Nazir followed her to America a few days later. On October 16, 2019, Betro was seen on CCTV posting packages of gun parts to the UK.

These were intercepted by authorities after Nazir made anonymous calls attempting to frame a former friend with whom he had previously grown cannabis before falling out.

Nazir, 30, was found guilty of conspiracy to murder, possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, perverting the course of justice and fraudulent evasion of a prohibition. Aslam, 56, was found guilty of the murder conspiracy but acquitted of the firearms offence.

Sentencing is set for August 9.

Betro is still on the run.