NEW YORK: The question of what really happened on Feb 21, 1965, when Malcolm X, an icon of the civil rights movement, was struck down in a hail of bullets in New York has haunted Americans for decades.

Sixty years after the brutal slaying of the fiery civil rights leader, the killing has been thrust into the spotlight once again as his family raises demands for the “truth”. A vigil was held on Friday in memory of the “Black Power” pioneer, 60 years to the day after his death, to mark his social justice legacy.

It was staged at the Shabazz Center, the memorial and educational trust set up in the former Harlem ballroom where Malcolm X was shot at the age of 39.

He was gunned down at the height of his influence and within months of the passage of federal legislation that effectively abolished racial segregation.

His heirs and admirers want to know who ordered the murder, how it could have happened in a public meeting, and whether authorities had advance knowledge of threats against the man who had been a galvanising spokesman for the Black nationalist Nation of Islam.

In their pursuit of answers, Malcolm X’s relatives are suing law enforcement and federal agencies, alleging complicity in the killing.

The family, which is demanding $100 million in damages, claims they have new bombshell evidence against the New York police, the CIA and others which they will present when the case gets underway next month.

“We are looking for a long-awaited truth after 60 years,” said Ilyasah Shabazz, one of Malcolm X’s daughters.

Malcolm X, also known as El Hajj Malik El Shabazz, was killed in front of his wife and daughters when several shooters peppered him with 21 bullets as he addressed a meeting of the Organisation of Afro-American Unity, which he had formed as a rival to the Nation of Islam.

Malcolm X had fallen out with the Nation of Islam and the three men arrested — one detained on the scene and two others arrested later — were linked to that group.

‘Get together again’

Malcolm X’s family members allege that law enforcement and US intelligence deliberately withdrew police protection on the night of the shooting.

Plainclothes officers failed to intervene, the lawsuit alleges, claiming intelligence agencies have subsequently worked to cover up their actions.

The New York police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“This cover-up spanned decades, blocking the Shabazz family’s access to the truth and their right to pursue justice,” said a lawyer for the family, Ben Crump.

“We are making history by standing here to confront those wrongs and seeking accountability in the courts,” said Crump, who specialises in civil rights cases.

The case returned to prominence in 2021 when two of the three men convicted of the murder, who had spent more than 20 years behind bars, were finally exonerated after a lengthy inquiry found that both the New York police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation had withheld key evidence.

Muhammad Aziz and Khalil Islam or their families received a total $36 million in compensation from the city and the state of New York.

Both are Black, as was the the third man arrested, Mujahid Abdul Halim, who later admitted involvement in the murder and said the other two were innocent.

“We know who is ultimately responsible for it. The only thing we don’t know was who gave the order. We know who carried it out, but we don’t know who gave the order,” said Abdur Rahman Muhammad, an expert on the case whose work helped exonerate the two men.

Muhammad said that the family’s case relied on material that was not credible, but that “if we can determine who gave the final order then the lawsuit will have value”.

He said the case held even greater resonance, coming during the presidency of a man whose agenda, Muhammad said, is “inimical” to the Black community’s interests.

“The Black community needs to get back to his words and get together again to fight,” he said.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2025