Axios
Malcolm X’s family says a letter from the officer shows that NYPD and FBI played a role in his murder
The family of Malcolm X released a letter on Saturday allegedly written by a police officer who has now died, claiming that the New York Police Department and the FBI were behind the 1965 assassination of the Black Civilian leader. men charged with the murder of Malcolm X, later known as el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz, in the Audubon Ballroom in New York have been wrongly convicted. Some claimed that police and federal agents played a role in his death. Get market news worth your time with Axios Markets. Remember the news: The family released the letter attributed to Raymond Wood, a former NYPD officer, and he admitted before he died that the NYPD and FBI conspired during the assassination. Wood writes that he was ordered to see that Malcolm X, the daughter of Malcolm X, disclosed the details of the letter at the former site of their father’s assassination, saying that they had waited until Wood’s death to speak about it for fear. for retaliation from authorities. . “Ilyasah Shabazz, one of Malcolm X’s daughters, thoroughly investigated at the press conference any evidence that provides greater insight into the truth behind the horrific tragedy.” Flashback: Muhammad Aziz, Mujahid Abdul Halim and Khalil Islam were convicted of the murder of the civil rights leader and sentenced to life in prison. Aziz and Islam have denied any involvement in a conspiracy to assassinate Malcolm X. Halim said the two were not involved. Malcolm X was killed after breaking up in public with the leader of the Nation of Islam, Elijah Muhammad, and while the FBI was watching him closely. Between the lines: District Attorney Cyrus Vance’s office, Cyrus Vance, announced last year that his office would revisit the 1965 assassination following the release of a Netflix series questioning the investigation into Malcolm X’s death. “Who killed Malcolm X?” dives into questions surrounding his accused killers and allegations of a vicious investigation. NYPD said in a statement that it had “provided all available records relevant to the case to the district attorney.” “The department remains committed to assisting in any way with the investigation.” The FBI declined to comment. The big picture: Malcolm X is a renewed interest in the midst of the Black Lives Matter movement and calls for advocates to diversify school history lessons to tackle systemic racism. “The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X,” written by late journalist Les Payne and his daughter, Tamara, won the 2020 National Book Award for Nonfiction. The book shows how Malcolm X’s intellectual development as a black nationalist stems in part from his preaching father and his multilingual mother, who worked as a journalist. The book also explored the experience of Malcolm X he visited at school. with white students where he became popular and how he learned to grow better marijuana from Mexican immigrants in Michigan. More from Axios: Join to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Sign up for free