The daughters of Malcolm X filed a $100 million lawsuit in Manhattan federal court Friday, accusing the CIA, FBI, NYPD, and other agencies of playing roles in the 1965 assassination of the iconic civil rights leader.
The lawsuit, filed alongside the Malcolm X estate, alleges that law enforcement and government agencies "were aware of and involved in the assassination plot" and intentionally failed to stop the killing, AP reported. It also claims there was a "corrupt, unlawful, and unconstitutional" relationship between law enforcement and the assassins, which was actively concealed for decades.
At a press conference, attorney Ben Crump urged federal and city officials to acknowledge their predecessors' actions.
"We hope they read this lawsuit and learn all the dastardly deeds that were done... and try to right these historic wrongs," Crump said.
Malcolm X was 39 when he was killed on February 21, 1965, at Manhattan's Audubon Ballroom while addressing hundreds of attendees. Though three men were convicted, two were exonerated in 2021 after a reinvestigation found that evidence was suppressed and information withheld.
The lawsuit alleges that the NYPD, working with federal agencies, removed Malcolm X's security detail days before the assassination and pulled its officers from inside the ballroom. It also claims undercover agents from federal agencies present at the scene failed to intervene.
"The damage caused to the Shabazz family is unimaginable, immense, and irreparable," the lawsuit states, adding that Malcolm X's wife and children endured decades of uncertainty about "who murdered Malcolm X, why he was murdered," and the extent of government involvement.
The NYPD, CIA, and Department of Justice declined to comment. The FBI stated it does not comment on pending litigation.
The Shabazz family announced their intention to sue last year, seeking accountability for what they described as a "fraudulent cover-up" of Malcolm X's assassination.
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