Malcolm X’s Family Sues Feds for ‘Allowing’ Assassination

In an explosive new lawsuit, the family of Malcolm X is accusing some of America’s most powerful law enforcement agencies—the New York Police Department, FBI, and CIA—of conspiracy, betrayal, and cover-up in the brutal 1965 assassination of the civil rights icon.

The lawsuit, totaling a staggering $100 million, charges these agencies with active complicity, failing to protect Malcolm X despite clear threats, and later concealing their roles in the tragic events at the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights, New York.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who has a reputation for high-profile cases, is representing Malcolm X’s family. He claims that the lawsuit aims to expose “the truth” and bring to light the U.S. government’s dark hand in the killing of one of its own citizens.

“All the involved agencies conspired to assassinate Malcolm X,” Crump stated, echoing a sentiment felt by many for decades. Malcolm X’s daughter, Ilyasah Shabazz, expressed her desire that this lawsuit finally record the truth in American history.

This lawsuit is only the latest in a long line of civil rights actions that accuse the FBI and NYPD of targeting influential Black leaders. In the 1960s, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover’s Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO) targeted civil rights leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in a massive surveillance effort meant to undermine what Hoover saw as “domestic threats.”

COINTELPRO was infamous for its morally questionable tactics, and Hoover’s agents often viewed charismatic Black leaders as enemies of the state, manipulating public perception through slander campaigns and instigating paranoia among their followers.

Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little, rose to prominence as the fiery voice of the Nation of Islam before he later embraced a broader message of racial unity and Pan-Africanism. His shift in ideology angered enemies, including radicals within his former movement, and allegedly alarmed government officials who feared the influence of his message on Black America. Weeks before his assassination, Malcolm X faced escalating threats, and his home was firebombed. He publicly stated that he felt his life was in danger, adding fuel to claims that law enforcement knew of the imminent threat and did nothing.

The lawsuit alleges multiple actions taken by law enforcement that directly endangered Malcolm X’s life. Among these, Crump highlighted the FBI’s arrest of Malcolm X’s security team just days before his assassination—a shocking claim that suggests intentional sabotage. The family’s suit also alleges that the police removed security from the venue on the night of the assassination and actively obstructed efforts to capture the gunmen immediately after the killing. In 2023, Crump introduced a new witness who reportedly saw the gunman shielded by law enforcement moments after the fatal shots were fired.

In the immediate aftermath of the killing, Talmadge Hayer confessed to shooting Malcolm X, but he claimed he acted alone. Two other men, Thomas Johnson and Norman Butler (later known as Muhammad Aziz), were also convicted, though both maintained their innocence for decades. Their convictions were finally overturned in 2021, but only after both men had spent more than 20 years in prison. Aziz, now an elderly man, remarked in an interview that his wrongful conviction represented a betrayal by those who were supposed to seek justice.

While the NYPD and FBI have declined to comment on the lawsuit, the New York City Law Department is reportedly reviewing the case. This renewed legal battle underscores a persistent distrust between Black communities and federal agencies accused of systematically undermining Black leadership. The civil rights era left a dark legacy of government-backed racial discrimination, and for many, Malcolm X’s assassination remains a scar that never fully healed.

Whether this lawsuit will deliver a sense of justice or further inflame tensions is yet to be seen. But it has reignited questions about the government’s role in suppressing voices that dared to demand justice for Black Americans.