In a riveting dawn raid, American fugitive Aimee Betro, 44, was arrested in Armenia, bringing an end to a five-year international manhunt. Betro, a suspected hitwoman-for-hire, had been on the run since a botched assassination attempt in Birmingham, UK, in September 2019. Her dramatic capture was initiated by a MailOnline investigation that tracked her down to a rented flat in Yerevan, Armenia’s capital.
The saga began with an attempted hit on Sikander Ali, a clothing store owner, outside his home in Birmingham. Betro, allegedly disguised in a hijab, aimed to carry out the hit on orders from rivals Mohammed Aslam, 56, and his son Mohammed Nazir, 30. However, her weapon jammed, allowing Ali to escape unharmed. Despite fleeing to Wisconsin shortly after, Betro’s freedom was short-lived as authorities pieced together the plot, leading to Aslam and Nazir’s conviction for conspiracy to murder.
Betro’s evasion of the law involved a low-profile life in Armenia, where she worked an online job from her flat. Her reclusive lifestyle was disrupted after MailOnline pinpointed her location using clues from her Instagram posts. The West Midlands Police were alerted, leading to her subsequent arrest by Armenian authorities.
Betro’s flat, where she spent most of her time, was located in a gated community on the outskirts of Yerevan. Her landlord confirmed that she had been renting the flat for $600 a month and led a solitary life, rarely interacting with neighbors. Despite her reclusiveness, Betro’s presence was known due to her habit of shouting at her cat, her primary companion.
Neighbors were shocked to learn about her background. Many had no idea they were living near an internationally wanted fugitive. Betro had reportedly deleted her social media accounts following the resurgence of news about her involvement in the attempted contract killing.
We had previously reported that allegedly Betro, who was an administrator for the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team, flew all the way to Birmingham, England, to carry out a hit on a boutique clothing store owner named Sikander Ali.
After the botched hit, she disappeared but for some reason kept using social media.
