CIA and FBI Exposed? Malcolm X’s Family Drops Massive Lawsuit After Decades of Lies
DISCLOSURES
On November 15, 2024, the daughters of Malcolm X, along with his estate, filed a significant federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Titled Malcolm X Shabazz et al. v. United States et al., the complaint seeks $100 million in damages. It accuses the United States government, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the New York Police Department (NYPD), and numerous individuals of complicity in the 1965 assassination of Malcolm X and a subsequent decades-long cover-up.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump leads the legal team, which includes attorneys such as Ray Hamlin, G. Flint Taylor, and Jonathan Moore. The plaintiffs include Ilyasah Shabazz (as administrator of the estate and in her individual capacity), Gamilah-Lamumba Shabazz, and Malaak Shabazz.
The Assassination and Immediate Aftermath
Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little and later known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, was a prominent civil rights leader, minister, and advocate for Black self-determination. On February 21, 1965, at age 39, he was assassinated while speaking at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem, New York City. Gunmen shot him a total of 21 times in front of his wife, Betty Shabazz, and their daughters.
Three men were initially convicted in connection with the murder. However, in 2021, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. exonerated two of them, Muhammad Aziz (formerly Norman 3X Butler) and Khalil Islam (formerly Thomas 15X Johnson), after a reinvestigation revealed that the FBI and NYPD had withheld key exculpatory evidence. The third man, Talmadge Hayer (also known as Thomas Hagan), had long admitted his involvement while implicating others.
The 2021 review, supported by the Innocence Project and others, uncovered serious misconduct, including suppressed documents that undermined the original convictions.
Allegations in the Lawsuit
The lawsuit alleges that federal and local agencies knew of credible threats to Malcolm X’s life but failed to protect him. It further claims they actively facilitated the assassination by actions such as arresting his bodyguards shortly before the event and removing officers from the ballroom. Undercover agents and informants from the NYPD and FBI were allegedly present and did not intervene.
Specific claims include:
A coordinated relationship between law enforcement and individuals involved in the plot, which agencies concealed, condoned, and protected.
Fraudulent concealment of evidence that prevented the Shabazz family from pursuing justice for decades.
Involvement or awareness by high-level figures, including references to FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover and others under the COINTELPRO program, which targeted Black liberation movements.
The complaint draws on new witness testimonies and previously unreleased documents. It highlights how the cover-up extended to the wrongful convictions, which diverted attention from potential government roles.
Historical Context of Government Surveillance
Malcolm X’s activism made him a target. The FBI opened a file on him in 1953 and monitored him extensively. Under COINTELPRO, the agency sought to disrupt Black nationalist groups. The NYPD’s Bureau of Special Services and Investigations (BOSSI) also conducted surveillance. Tensions with the Nation of Islam, from which Malcolm X had split, added layers of threat, amid broader efforts to suppress civil rights and anti-colonial voices.
Historians and researchers have long debated the extent of government involvement. Revelations over the years, including from declassified documents and books such as Manning Marable’s Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention, have fueled questions about undercover operations and withheld information.
Current Status and Broader Implications
As of May 2026, the lawsuit remains active in federal court, with no reported resolution or dismissal. The last known docket activity occurred in December 2025.
This case goes beyond historical accountability. It challenges alleged patterns of domestic surveillance, informant use, and evidence concealment by intelligence agencies. The family seeks not only financial damages but also truth and transparency, echoing calls for declassification of related documents.
Attorney Ben Crump has emphasized the need to confront these wrongs: “This cover-up spanned decades, blocking the Shabazz family’s access to the truth and their right to pursue justice.”
The outcome could influence discussions on government oversight, civil liberties, and justice for historical wrongs. For the Shabazz family and admirers of Malcolm X’s legacy, it represents a long-overdue pursuit of answers about one of the 20th century’s most influential figures.
References (selected key sources):
Ben Crump Law Firm Press Releases
Court Complaint: Case 1:24-cv-08680 (S.D.N.Y.).
Reuters, NPR, The Guardian, and Wikipedia summaries of the case and assassination (cross-verified with primary documents).
Historical accounts from The New York Times and scholarly works on COINTELPRO and the exonerations.
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