A father and son have been found guilty of conspiracy to murder over a plot to kill a man in Birmingham.
Mohammed Aslam, aged 56, and Mohammed Nazir, aged 30, from Elms Avenue in Derby, planned to kill their target following a dispute at a Birmingham clothing store in 2018 which left them both injured.
Bent on revenge they became part of a plan to kill the owner of the Birmingham store or target one of his family.
On 7 September 2019 the victim had driven home to South Yardley, Birmingham. As he got out of his car he was threatened with a gun. The weapon jammed, allowing him to escape.
Threatening messages were then sent to his, and an attempt was made to lure the victim to meet with the group.
When the victim did not attend, their house was shot three times.
Police began an investigation into the shootings, with the trail leading to Aslam and Nazir.
Detectives were able to piece together their involvement through their phones, CCTV and financial investigations.
This showed their preparations for and involvement in the events of that night.
Both men were subject to an investigation by Derbyshire police for firearms importation.
We joined forces with Derbyshire and were able to link the different strands of the investigation. The men went on trial at Birmingham Crown Court for both offences.
On Wednesday last week, Nazir was found guilty of conspiracy to murder, possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
He was also found guilty of perverting the course of justice and illegally importing firearms over a plot to bring guns into the country and then blame it on another person to frame them.
Aslam was cleared of a firearms offence, but yesterday found guilty of conspiracy to murder.
They will be sentenced on 9 August.
Det Insp Matt Marston said: “This was a complex and protracted investigation. Aslam and Nazir were determined to take revenge following a fall out where they were injured.
“The lengths they went to in trying to make sure they weren’t implicated in pulling the trigger are immense.
“However, thanks to some great police work and support from our Derbyshire colleagues we were able to place them firmly in the middle of the attempted murder plot.
“We hope that today, after a number of years unravelling this investigation, justice has been served.”
Derbyshire Police said: “That nobody died as a result of Aslam and Nazir’s actions is through nothing other than sheer good fortune.
“Their plan was to kill and had it not been for the gun jamming, then there is a good chance this would have been a murder investigation.
“The importation of firearms is an extremely serious offence, and in this case the purpose was to frame their target in revenge for a previous incident.
“As a police service, we will do everything we can to target those who aim to bring these weapons into our communities and bring them to justice.”