The daughters of Malcolm X have filed a $100 million lawsuit against the CIA, FBI, NYPD, and other government entities, claiming they were involved in the assassination of the civil rights icon. The suit, filed in Manhattan federal court, accuses these agencies of being aware of and participating in the plot to kill Malcolm X and failing to intervene.
Attorney Ben Crump, representing the family and the Malcolm X estate, spoke at a press conference with family members, urging federal and city officials to acknowledge and address the “dastardly deeds” committed by their predecessors. “We hope they learn from this and seek to right these historic wrongs,” Crump said.
The agencies named in the lawsuit have yet to respond publicly.
Malcolm X, who was born Malcolm Little and later took the name El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, was killed on February 21, 1965, while delivering a speech at the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan. He was 39 years old. Questions about who was truly behind his murder have lingered for decades.
Three men were initially convicted of his killing, but two were exonerated in 2021 following a new investigation that revealed the original prosecution withheld critical evidence. This exoneration intensified calls for accountability and justice from Malcolm X’s surviving family.
The lawsuit claims that prosecutors and government agencies suppressed their involvement in the assassination plot and that the Shabazz family has suffered immensely from not knowing the full truth. “They did not know who murdered Malcolm X, why he was murdered, the extent of the NYPD, FBI, and CIA’s involvement, the identities of those who conspired against him, or who covered it up,” the suit states. It describes the damage to the family as “unimaginable, immense, and irreparable.”
The family first announced their intent to sue these agencies last year.
