Malcolm X’s family to sue the CIA and FBI for his murder

NEW YORK (AP) — The family of civil rights leader Malcolm X marked the anniversary of his 1965 assassination on Tuesday by announcing plans to sue agencies including the CIA, FBI and New York City police, among other things, for 100 million dollars accusing them of playing a role in his death.

Two of his daughters, Ilyasah Shabazz and Qubilah Shabazz, held a press conference accompanied by attorney Ben Crump at the former Audubon Ballroom theater and ballroom in Manhattan where Malcolm X was shot as crowds gathered to listen to the word on February 21, 1965.

Questions about who was responsible for his death have swirled around for decades.

Three men were convicted, but two of them were exonerated in 2021 after a new investigation showed the evidence used to secure the convictions was flimsy and authorities withheld some information.

Ilyasah Shabazz, co-administrator of her father’s estate, filed Notices of Claim, which is the first step in the process, saying the agencies “conspired with each other and with other people and acted, and did not have not acted in such a manner as to cause the unjust death of Malcolm X”.

“For years, our family has fought for the truth to come out,” he said at the press conference. “We want justice for our father.”

Emails to the CIA, FBI, Justice Department and New York City Legal Department seeking comment went unanswered. The Justice Department and New York City Police declined to comment.

Crump mentioned the anniversary date, saying that since then “there has been speculation about who was involved in the assassination of Malcolm X.”

He cited the 2021 exonerations and said government agencies, including the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, the New York Police Department and the FBI, “had factual evidence, exculpatory evidence that fraudulently concealed the men who had been wrongfully convicted of the assassination of Malcolm X.

When asked if he believed government agencies conspired to kill Malcolm, Crump replied: “That’s what we allege, yes. They infiltrated many civil rights organizations.