New York — Three daughters of Malcolm X have accused the CIA, FBI, the New York Police Department and others in a $100 million lawsuit Friday of playing roles inthe 1965 assassinationof the civil rights leader.
In the lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court, the daughters — along with the Malcolm X estate — claimed that the agencies were aware of and were involved in the assassination plot and failed to stop the killing.
At a morning news conference, attorney Ben Crump stood with family members as he described the lawsuit, saying he hoped federal and city officials would read it “and learn all the dastardly deeds that were done by their predecessors and try to right these historic wrongs.”
We are seeking justice and accountability for Malcolm X through a $100M lawsuit on behalf of his estate.
The allegations within the lawsuit against government entities in Malcolm's assassination: excessive use of force against Malcolm X, deliberate creation of danger, failure to… pic.twitter.com/fVXxoNirCj
The NYPD and CIA did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Nicholas Biase, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice, which was also sued, declined comment. The FBI said in an email that it was its “standard practice” not to comment on litigation.
For decades,more questions than answershave arisen over who was to blame for the death of Malcolm X, who was 39 years old when he was slain on Feb. 21, 1965, at the Audubon Ballroom on West 165th Street in Manhattan as he spoke to several hundred people. Born Malcolm Littlein Omaha, Nebraska,Malcolm X later changed his name to El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz.
Three men were convicted of crimes in the death buttwo of them were exoneratedin 2021 after investigators took a fresh look at the case and concluded some evidence was shaky and authorities had held back some information.
In the lawsuit, the family said the prosecution team suppressed the government’s role in the assassination.
The lawsuit alleges that there was a “corrupt, unlawful, and unconstitutional” relationship between law enforcement and “ruthless killers that went unchecked for many years and was actively concealed, condoned, protected, and facilitated by government agents,” leading up to the murder of Malcolm X.
According to the lawsuit, the NYPD, coordinating with federal law enforcement agencies, arrested the activist's security detail days before the assassination and intentionally removed their officers from inside the ballroom where Malcolm X was killed. Meanwhile, it adds, federal agencies had personnel, including undercover agents, in the ballroom but failed to protect him.
The lawsuit was not brought sooner because the defendants withheld information from the family, including the identities of undercover "informants, agents and provocateurs" and what they knew about the planning that preceded the attack.
Today, we stand together for a momentous cause: to seek justice on behalf of Malcolm X from the U.S. government, DOJ, FBI, CIA, and NYPD — who we allege played key roles in X's assassination and covered up their involvement for decades! We will confront these wrongs and seek… pic.twitter.com/9zjXdoXaVj
Malcolm X’s wife, Betty Shabazz, the plaintiffs, “and their entire family have suffered the pain of the unknown” for decades, the lawsuit states.
“They did not know who murdered Malcolm X, why he was murdered, the level of NYPD, FBI and CIA orchestration, the identity of the governmental agents who conspired to ensure his demise, or who fraudulently covered-up their role,” it states. "The damage caused to the Shabazz family is unimaginable, immense, and irreparable."
Merit Street Media
