Malcolm X’s daughters accuse CIA, FBI, and NYPD of concealing knowledge of assassination

Three daughters of Malcolm X, the iconic civil rights leader, have filed a $100 million wrongful-death lawsuit accusing the CIA, FBI, and NYPD of concealing prior knowledge of their father's assassination and failing to intervene. The legal action, filed on Friday, is the latest chapter in the long-running fallout from the 1965 killing of the Black empowerment leader.

Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little, was shot dead in February 1965 while speaking at an event in the Harlem neighborhood of New York. The assassination, which occurred just after the 39-year-old took the stage, has raised numerous questions over the years, but with few answers.

The lawsuit claims that a “corrupt, unlawful, and unconstitutional” relationship between law enforcement agencies and the “ruthless killers” facilitated the assassination. It alleges that the ties between the government and the killers were concealed, protected, and facilitated for years by government agents. The suit further accuses the agencies of failing to prevent the killing, despite several critical missteps.

According to the filing, the NYPD coordinated with federal law enforcement to arrest Malcolm X's security detail just days before the assassination. It also claims that the NYPD deliberately removed officers from inside the ballroom where Malcolm X was speaking. Moreover, the lawsuit states that undercover federal agents were present at the scene but failed to intervene during the attack.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing the family, spoke at a news conference on Friday, summarizing the family’s position. “We believe that they all conspired to assassinate Malcolm X, one of the greatest thought leaders of the 20th century,” Crump said. He expressed hope that the lawsuit would encourage law enforcement officials to confront the historical wrongs, saying, “We hope they read this lawsuit and learn all the dastardly deeds that were done by their predecessors and try to right these historic wrongs.”

Neither the CIA nor the FBI have commented on the lawsuit, and the NYPD has previously stated that it does not comment on pending litigation.

Malcolm X, a prominent figure in the civil rights and Black empowerment movements, was closely monitored by federal intelligence agencies throughout his career due to his outspoken activism. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, he initially gained national attention as the spokesperson for the Nation of Islam before breaking away and adopting a more mainstream civil rights stance.

Following his assassination, three men were arrested and convicted for the murder. However, in 2020, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance announced a review of the investigation, which had long been the subject of speculation. The review led to the exoneration of two of the three men convicted—Muhammad Aziz and Khalil Islam—after it was revealed that key evidence had been withheld by prosecutors, the FBI, and the NYPD. A third man, Mujahid Abdul Halim, remained convicted.

The review did not identify the actual killer or uncover further collusion between the attackers and law enforcement. However, it did highlight that authorities were aware that the Nation of Islam had been targeting Malcolm X, as they had firebombed his home just a week before his assassination. It also revealed that undercover agents were present at the scene of the attack, a fact not disclosed until the filing of Friday’s lawsuit. Additionally, NYPD files showed that a reporter from the New York Daily News had been tipped off about the killing shortly before it occurred.

The lawsuit filed by Malcolm X’s family on Friday expresses the immense pain the family endured due to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding his death. “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,” the lawsuit reads. “The damage caused to the Shabazz family is unimaginable, immense, and irreparable.”