A would-be assassin who travelled from the US to shoot a man in Birmingham has been found guilty of conspiracy to murder.
Birmingham Crown Court previously heard that US citizen Aimee Betro, 45, became embroiled in a plot to kill businessman Aslat Mahamud over Mr Mahumad’s feud with Mohammed Nazir and his dad Mohammed Aslam.
She disguised herself with a niqab, but when she pointed a handgun at Mr Mahumad’s son Sikander Ali in a Birmingham cul-de-sac, the gun jammed, allowing Mr Ali to escape in his car.
Betro appeared in the court on Tuesday wearing a purple T-shirt and with her hair in space buns.
She showed no obvious reaction and stared towards the jury bench as the verdicts were returned.
She was found guilty by majority 11-verdicts on charges of conspiracy to murder and possessing a self-loading pistol with intent to cause fear of violence.
She was found guilty by a unanimous verdict on a charge of fraudulently evading the prohibition on importing ammunition.
Jurors deliberated for almost 21 hours before handing down the verdicts.
Betro, who is originally from West Allis in Wisconsin but spent several years in Armenia before her arrest in January, will be sentenced on 21 August.
Defence barrister Paul Lewis KC said he was not asking for pre-sentence reports as they would not assist the court.
Judge Simon Drew KC told the court: “I suspect Miss Betro would like to know the outcome of this case and there is nothing worse than sitting waiting.”
Betro also showed no emotion as she was remanded in custody and led away to the cells.
During the trial, prosecutors said Betro flew to Britain in August 2019 to attack Mr Mahumad’s family as part of a “violent” feud.
Giving evidence, Betro suggested that the perpetrator was “another American woman” who sounded similar to her, used the same phone and wore the same sort of trainers.
Betro also told jurors that it was “all just a terrible coincidence” that she was around the corner from the scene of the attempted assassination six minutes later.
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