Malcolm X’s family files $100M suit against government agencies for conspiracy to allow his 1965 assassination

Lawyers for the household of Malcolm X person filed a $100 cardinal lawsuit against the U.S. government, Department of Justice, FBI, CIA and the NYPD for conspiring to let the assassination of the civilian rights person successful 1965.

“The government’s fingerprints are each implicit the assassination of Malcolm X,” civilian rights lawyer Benjamin Crump said Friday astatine a property league successful the erstwhile Audubon Ballroom, the Washington Heights gathering wherever Malcolm X was gunned down earlier giving a speech. “We judge we person the grounds to beryllium it.”

Crump stood successful beforehand of a mural featuring Malcolm X with the squad of lawyers who person worked to hole the lawsuit and 1 of Malcolm X’s daughters, Dr. Ilyasah Shabazz.

“It has taken america a agelong clip to get to this point, and we fought chiefly for our mother, who was present connected Feb. 21, 1965,” said Shabazz. “My parent was large but she came present to spot her hubby speak, idiosyncratic who she conscionable admired totally, and to witnesser this horrific assassination of her husband.”

Malcolm X was changeable by 3 gunmen connected Feb. 21, 1965, portion lasting onstage of the Audubon Ballroom, present known arsenic the Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center. The suspects, including Nation of Islam members Muhammad Aziz and Khalil Islam, were convicted of first-degree murder.

But the shooting has ever been shrouded successful enigma amid conspiracy theories that the existent killers got distant — and that authorities agencies covered up the information and withheld grounds that could person cleared Aziz and Islam.

Mujahid Abdul Halim, a 3rd gunman who was caught astatine the scene, aboriginal confessed and declared Aziz and Islam were innocent, but the 2 men spent much than 20 years successful situation for the crime.

In 2021, relatives of a deceased erstwhile NYPD officer, Raymond Wood, shared what lawyers called a decade-old deathbed confession detailing a crippled to falsely apprehension the civilian rights leader’s information guards Khaleel Sayyed and Walter Bowe to marque definite Malcolm X wasn’t adequately protected during his last speech.

Sayyed and Bowe gave sworn affidavits successful February, and said they were busted connected trumped-up charges and kept retired of the representation conscionable days earlier Malcolm X was killed.

In 2021, a authorities justice exonerated Aziz and Islam. The city paid $26 cardinal and the authorities paid $10 million to Aziz and the household of Islam to settee lawsuits related to their wrongful convictions successful 2022.

Crump said that was the case’s turning point.

“Over the past 3 years each day, each week, each month, we person been unearthing caller grounds — grounds of radical ne'er having spoken earlier astir what they witnessed during those turbulent times successful the 1960s.”

Crump cited an affidavit fixed by Mustafa Hassan, who was moving information that nighttime astatine the Audubon Ballroom, and had ne'er earlier spoken retired astir witnessing the murder.

Hassan, who was adjacent to Malcolm X arsenic helium died, successful 2023 described his effort to halt 1 of the gunmen as helium fled, but being stymied by police.

“Why would it beryllium that nary one, for astir 57 years, ne'er heard from [Hassan], ne'er spoke to him, ne'er took a connection from him?” asked lawyer Ray Hamlin astatine Friday’s property conference. “Why wouldn’t they talk to idiosyncratic whose beingness is truthful prominent?

“Why would the authorities prosecute 2 individuals knowing those individuals had nary engagement successful the assassination? What was it that our government, what was it that the metropolis was trying to protect?”

Attorney Flint Taylor said aft Aziz and Islam were exonerated, grounds began to aboveground linking the FBI’s relation successful the assassination to the NYPD, citing 9 FBI reports that confessed slayer Halim “had dense connections to the FBI.”

“We’re looking for his file, they’re trying to accidental it whitethorn person been destroyed,” said Taylor.

In 2023, connected the 58th day of Malcolm X’s killing, Crump announced plans to record a wrongful decease lawsuit against the agencies.

“We judge we are connected coagulated crushed to spell guardant with this suit astatine his time. We’re not conscionable making history, but we’re making a way to justice,” said Crump.