Malcolm X’s Family Sues FBI, CIA, and NYPD for $100 Million Over His Assassination
The family of Malcolm X, the influential civil rights activist murdered in 1965, has filed a $100 million lawsuit against the FBI, CIA, and New York Police Department (NYPD), alleging a conspiracy in his assassination. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing the family, claims these agencies were directly involved in the plot to kill Malcolm X, whom he describes as “one of the greatest thought leaders of the 20th century.”
Malcolm X was killed on February 21, 1965, when three armed men shot him 21 times while he was preparing to speak at a venue in New York. The lawsuit contends that there was a “corrupt, unlawful, and unconstitutional” relationship between law enforcement agencies and the killers that facilitated his murder.
The legal filing makes several serious allegations:
1. The NYPD, in coordination with other agencies, deliberately detained members of Malcolm X’s security team days before the shooting.
2. Police intentionally removed their officers from the ballroom where Malcolm X was killed.
3. Federal agents, including undercover operatives, were present during the assassination but took no steps to intervene.
4. The connections between the agencies and the killers were actively concealed and protected for many years.
This lawsuit follows significant developments in the case of Malcolm X’s murder. In 2021, two men who were previously convicted of the killing were exonerated after a judge determined there had been a miscarriage of justice. The New York attorney general found that prosecutors had withheld evidence that would have likely cleared these men.
Malcolm X was a prominent civil rights leader and a leading spokesman for the Nation of Islam, advocating for black separatism before his split from the organization. He was 39 years old at the time of his death. While one Nation of Islam member had previously confessed to the murder, the recent legal action suggests a much broader conspiracy.
The agencies named in the lawsuit have been largely silent. The CIA and NYPD have not responded to initial comments, and the FBI stated it was their “standard practice” not to comment on ongoing litigation.
The $100 million lawsuit seeks to hold these government agencies accountable for what the family believes was a deliberate and coordinated effort to silence Malcolm X. This legal action represents a continued pursuit of justice decades after his assassination, reflecting the ongoing quest to uncover the full truth about one of the most significant civil rights leaders in American history.
The case highlights the complex and often controversial relationship between law enforcement and civil rights activists during a tumultuous period of American social and political history.
