Malcolm X's family to sue CIA, FBI and NYPD for alleged roles in assassination
58 years after his assassination, one of Malcolm X's daughters filed notices to sue the CIA, the FBI and the New York City Police Department for the agencies' alleged roles in his death, according to multiple reports.
Speaking at a press conference alongside U.S. Attorney Ben Crump, Ilyasah Shabazz said federal and New York agencies "conspired to and executed their plan to assassinate Malcolm X."
“For years our family has fought for the truth to come to light concerning his murder, and we’d like our father to receive the justice that he deserves,” Shabazz said, as reported by Al Jazeera.
“It is our hope that litigation of this case will finally provide some unanswered questions," Shabazz said. "We want justice served for our father.”
In 1964, Malcolm X publicly broke with the Nation of Islam, a group he helped bring into national prominence.
In a speech delivered on Feb. 15, 1965, Malcolm X accused members of the Nation of Islam of bombing his house the day before.
Six days later, Malcolm X was preparing to speak at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City when three gunman shot and killed him.
In 2021, a New York state judge threw out the convictions of two men accused in the shooting, Muhammad Aziz and Khalil Islam, after prosecutors said they found evidence of witness intimidation and suppression of exculpatory evidence.
Last October, New York City and the State of New York settled lawsuits filed on behalf of the two exonerated men.
Talmadge Hayer, who was a member of the Nation of Islam at the time of the assassination, had confessed in court to being one of the assassins and repeatedly said that Aziz and Islam were innocent.
"It's not just about the trigger men, it's about those who conspired with the trigger men to do this dastardly deed," Crump said at the news conference, as reported by Reuters.
According to Crump, the notices were filed based on new information about the assassination.
Shabazz said that she is seeking $100 million in damages.