Malcolm X's family files $100M wrongful death lawsuit against the NYPD, state and federal agencies
WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, Manhattan (WABC) -- The family of Malcolm X announced Tuesday that they would file a wrongful death lawsuit for $100 million alleging the CIA, FBI and the NYPD had a hand in his death.
The suit filed by civil rights attorney Ben Crump alleges the agencies conspired to assassinate Malcolm X and conceal the evidence.
"Many things that will be put forth in our lawsuit that speaks to this factual evidence," Crump said. "We believe that now it could be substantiated based on the recent exonerations of those who were wrongfully convicted."
The backdrop of Tuesday's announcement was the Shabazz Educational Center in Washington Heights which is the former Audubon building, where three men gunned down Malcolm X February 21, 1965.
WATCH: Gil Noble reports on lingering questions in Malcolm X assassination
Two of the three men convicted in the killing, Muhammad Aziz and Khalil Islam were exonerated in 2021 after serving decades in prison.
Their exoneration validated doubts about who killed the civil rights leader.
Former Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance and the men's lawyers reinvestigated their case and found that the FBI and NYPD withheld key evidence that would likely have led to the men's acquittal and implicated other suspects.
"We believe we'll be able, with the force of law, to subpoena and depose any individual that has relevant information," Crump said.
"The truth about the circumstances leading to the death of our father is important, not only to his family, but to many followers, many admirers," Malcolm X's daughter Ilyasah Shabazz said.
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