Malcom X's family sues US law enforcement agencies seeking $100M

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The family of Malcolm X sued federal law enforcement agencies and the New York Police Department (NYPD) on Friday for allegedly conspiring to kill the slain civil rights leader.

The wrongful death lawsuit, which is seeking $100 million in damages, is being brought by Ilyasah Shabazz, Malcolm's daughter, and other family members.

It names the US government, Justice Department, FBI, CIA, and the NYPD, saying the agencies knew in advance of the plot to kill Malcolm, but did nothing to stop it, and later worked to cover-up their involvement.

"We believe all conspired to assassinate Malcolm X, one of the greatest thought leaders of the 21st century," Ben Crump, a civil rights attorney representing the family, said at a news conference.

"We're not just making history, but we're making a path for justice, we believe a precedent setting path for justice for those who have been denied justice by the American legal system for far too long," he added.

The suit alleges that the FBI and CIA collaborated with undercover agents in the Nation of Islam, a Black separatist Muslim movement for which Malcolm was a spokesman before he left the group. The suit says FBI agents worked to compromise his safety by arresting his security team in the days leading up to the Feb. 21, 1965 assassination.

The bureau is also alleged to have removed security officers from the Audubon Ballroom, the site of the killing, and failed to approve permits that would have allowed Malcolm to carry a firearm.

"We are ready for this fight," said Crump.

Shabazz, Malcom's daughter, said the family fought "primarily for our mother" who endured violent attacks while Malcolm was alive, and, as a registered nurse, attempted to provide medical care when he was fatally shot.

"She turned this place, which represented trauma, tragedy and turned it into a place a triumph, not for herself, but for others to be the beneficiaries of my father's work, this young generation to carry this work forward to so we can get a semblance of truth and justice for all of those who have been wrongfully murdered," she said during the presser held at the former site of her father's murder, now rededicated as the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center.