Nearly 56 years since the day Malcolm X was assassinated in New York, advocates and family members of the late Civil Rights and black nationalist leaders have released new evidence that they say shows the NYPD and FBI conspired in his murder.
It comes in the form of a deathbed letter attributed to a former undercover NYPD officer who claims he was put under pressure by supervisors to lure two of Malcolm X’s security men to crime, a few days before the assassination of 21 February 1965.
According to the letter, the two men did not handle the two men on the day of the shooting at the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights.
The letter, written by Raymond Wood, was authorized by a cousin for posthumous release. It was read out on Saturday at a press conference attended by three of X’s daughters and members of Wood’s family. No details were given about the circumstances and timing of Wood’s death.
“Under the guidance of my handlers,” reads the letter, “I have been told to encourage leaders and members of civil rights groups to commit criminal acts.”
Last year, the assassination was the subject of a six-part Netflix documentary, Who Killed Malcolm X ?, which innocently investigated lengthy questions about two or three men convicted in the shooting. In 2011, an NYPD detective wrote: “The investigation has been completed.”
The documentary prompted Manhattan attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. to review convictions in the case. Following the news conference on Saturday, Vance’s office said the investigation was “active and ongoing”. In a separate statement, the NYPD said it provided “all available records relevant to that case” to Vance and “remains committed to assisting in any way with the review”.
The FBI did not comment.
Malcolm X was shot seconds after walking after a speech to speak. Days earlier, he told an interviewer he believed members of the Nation of Islam wanted to kill him. He was being investigated by the FBI at the time. His home in Queens was bombed with a firearm the week before he was killed.
One of his daughters, Ilyasah Shabazz, said at the press conference on Saturday that she was living with decades of uncertainty.
“Any evidence that provides greater insight into the truth behind the horrific tragedy should be thoroughly investigated,” she said.