African American leader Malcolm X’s daughters filed a $100M lawsuit in the Manhattan federal court on November 15, 2024, accusing the CIA, FBI, and the New York Police Department of being involved in the 1965 assassination of their father.
In the lawsuit filed along with the late leader’s estate, they claimed that said agencies failed to prevent the assassination and were aware of the happenings before that. The agencies have not commented yet.
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Malcolm X, aged 39, was killed on February 21, 1965, at the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan during a public address. The NYPD reportedly arrested his security detail days before the murder and intentionally withdrew officers from the venue. Meanwhile, federal undercover agents present at the ballroom allegedly failed to intervene.
Three men were convicted in his death, but two were exonerated in 2021 after new investigations revealed contradicting evidence. The leader has six daughters Attallah Shabazz, Qubilah Shabazz, Ilyasah Shabazz, Gamilah Lumumba Shabazz, Malikah Shabazz, and Malaak Shabazz.
The lawsuit accused prosecutors of suppressing evidence of government involvement in the assassination. It alleged a corrupt and unconstitutional collaboration between law enforcement and Malcolm X’s killers, which was concealed and enabled by government agents.
The family announced plans to pursue legal action against law enforcement agencies last year. The suit argued it wasn’t filed earlier because critical information, including the identities and actions of undercover agents, was withheld from the family.
It claimed his wife, Betty Shabazz, and their family endured decades of anguish, not knowing the full circumstances or the extent of law enforcement's role in his death.
The attorney representing Malcolm X’s family said the assassination was a conspiracy
Ben Crump, the attorney representing Malcolm X’s family members, detailed the lawsuit in a press conference aiming to address historical injustices tied to the civil rights leader's assassination. He expressed hope that federal and city authorities would acknowledge past misconduct by their predecessors and take steps to rectify it. He said,
“We believe that they all conspired to assassinate Malcolm X, one of the greatest thought leaders of the 20th century.”
Talmadge Hayer, a Nation of Islam member, admitted in court to being one of the three assassins. However, suspicions that government agencies may have been aware of the assassination plot and allowed it to proceed have lingered for decades.
The lawsuit alleged that the leader’s federal constitutional rights were intentionally and recklessly violated by the defendants, resulting in his death and severe physical, emotional, and financial harm, including conscious pain and suffering. It further claimed that decades-long cover-up obstructed the family's pursuit of truth and justice.
Malcolm X became a household name as the national spokesperson for the Nation of Islam, advocating for Black separatism. After over a decade with the group, he publicly severed ties in 1964, softening some of his earlier views on racial separation. This shift angered certain members of the Nation of Islam and led to death threats against him.
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