Malcolm X’s Family Initiates Lawsuit Against FBI, CIA, and NYPD Over His Assassination

The relatives of Malcolm X, the assassinated Black civil rights leader, have initiated a lawsuit seeking $100 million (£79 million) from the FBI, the CIA, and the New York Police Department (NYPD), alleging their involvement in his demise. According to the legal filing, these agencies participated in the conspiracy and did not prevent the assassination. During a news conference, Ben Crump, a civil rights attorney representing the family, stated, “We believe that they all conspired to assassinate Malcolm X, one of the greatest thought leaders of the 20th Century.” Malcolm X was fatally shot 21 times by three armed individuals in 1965 while he was preparing to deliver a speech in New York. The lawsuit contends that a “corrupt, unlawful and unconstitutional” connection between law enforcement and the “ruthless killers” facilitated the assassination. The legal complaint further states that a link between the agencies and the perpetrators “went unchecked for many years and was actively concealed, condoned, protected and facilitated by government agents.” It also claims that the NYPD, in coordination with these agencies, apprehended members of Malcolm X’s security detail days prior to the shooting and deliberately withdrew its officers from the ballroom where the shooting occurred. The lawsuit asserts that federal agents, including undercover operatives, were present in the ballroom during the assassination but did not take any action to intervene. The family had declared their intent to file this lawsuit last year. The NYPD stated it “will decline comment on pending litigation,” while the CIA did not provide an immediate response to a request for comment. The FBI informed the Associated Press that it is its “standard practice” not to comment on litigation. Malcolm X served as a prominent spokesperson for the Nation of Islam, an organization that promoted separatism for Black Americans, prior to his contentious departure from the group. He was 39 years old at the time of his death. A single individual, who was a member of the Nation of Islam, admitted to committing the murder. In 2021, the convictions of two other men found guilty of his murder were overturned after a New York state judge determined that a miscarriage of justice had occurred. These two individuals were subsequently fully exonerated when New York’s attorney general concluded that prosecutors had suppressed evidence which would likely have absolved them of the murder. The families of the wrongly convicted men filed lawsuits and were awarded $26 million from New York City and $10 million from New York state. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.