The family of Malcolm X has filed a $100 million federal lawsuit against the FBI, CIA, and the New York Police Department (NYPD), accusing them of playing a role in the assassination of the iconic civil rights leader 60 years ago.
The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court, claims that law enforcement officials concealed crucial evidence and failed to intervene in a plot to kill Malcolm X.
At a press conference on Friday, November 15, Malcolm X’s daughters Ilyasah Shabazz and Qubilah Shabazz, along with prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump, addressed the filing of the legal action.
Crump, representing the family, said, “We believe that they all conspired to assassinate Malcolm X, one of the greatest thought leaders of the 20th century.”
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The suit alleges that the FBI, CIA, and NYPD had a “corrupt, unlawful, and unconstitutional” relationship with the men who killed Malcolm X on February 21, 1965, at the age of 39.
Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little, was shot at New York’s Audubon Ballroom while preparing to deliver a speech.
The family argues that undercover agents failed to protect him at the event and actively concealed the extent of the government’s involvement in his assassination.
The lawsuit claims that “ruthless killers” were “actively concealed, condoned, protected, and facilitated by government agents,” leading up to his death.
The family further alleges that they were left in the dark for years about the true circumstances surrounding the murder.
“They did not know who murdered Malcolm X, why he was murdered, or the level of orchestration by the NYPD, FBI, and CIA,” the lawsuit states.
The Shabazz family claims the damage caused by the government’s actions is “unimaginable, immense, and irreparable.”
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This lawsuit follows a growing movement to revisit the case. In 2020, new revelations from the docuseries Who Killed Malcolm X? led prosecutors to promise a reinvestigation.
The series uncovered evidence that two of the men convicted of the crime were innocent.
The FBI, NYPD, and CIA have yet to comment on the lawsuit, with the FBI declining to respond and the NYPD stating that they will not comment on pending litigation.