The Assassination of Malcolm X: Unveiling the Truth Nearly 60 Years Later
Malcolm X, a charismatic and influential figure in the civil rights movement, was assassinated on 21st February 1965, while preparing to address the Organisation of Afro-American Unity in the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan. His death was a culmination of escalating tensions between Malcolm and the Nation of Islam (NOI), from which he had publicly severed ties in 1964. The events surrounding his assassination have left many unanswered questions. Was the FBI involved? Did the NOI orchestrate his murder? And why were innocent men imprisoned for the crime?
Rising Conflict with the Nation of Islam
Malcolm X’s fallout with the NOI was rooted in his growing disillusionment with its leader, Elijah Muhammad. Tensions reached a peak when Malcolm condemned Elijah Muhammad’s relationships with multiple young women, accusations that alienated him further from the organisation. Malcolm’s provocative remarks following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy only fuelled the rift. In March 1964, Malcolm X publicly announced his departure from the NOI, effectively sealing his fate.
Threats to Malcolm’s life intensified after his split from the NOI. Elijah Muhammad reportedly declared that “hypocrites like Malcolm should have their heads cut off,” while the NOI’s Muhammad Speaks newspaper featured cartoons depicting his severed head. Violence soon followed, with Malcolm’s car bombed in February 1965. By this time, it was evident that his life was in serious jeopardy.
FBI Surveillance and Ignored Warnings
The FBI had been closely monitoring Malcolm X for years. Throughout 1964, FBI wiretaps captured a series of threats against Malcolm, including one chilling phone call in June where his wife, Betty Shabazz, was told her husband was “as good as dead.” Just days later, an informant relayed a tip to the FBI that “Malcolm X is going to be bumped off.” Despite these warnings, little was done to protect him.
There is compelling evidence to suggest that the FBI was aware of an imminent assassination but did not intervene. FBI documents revealed through the Freedom of Information Act show that the Bureau was keeping tabs on Malcolm X’s every move, yet they failed to act on the death threats. This has led to speculation about whether the FBI played a covert role in Malcolm X’s assassination by either instigating the violence or allowing it to occur. The FBI’s COINTELPRO programme, designed to infiltrate and disrupt civil rights movements, was already in full swing at the time, and many believe that Malcolm X’s growing influence made him a prime target.
The Assassination
On 21st February 1965, during a speech at the Audubon Ballroom, chaos erupted when someone shouted, “Nigger! Get your hand outta my pocket!” As Malcolm X’s bodyguards were distracted by the disturbance, a man rushed forward and shot Malcolm once in the chest with a sawed-off shotgun. Two other men then charged the stage, firing semi-automatic handguns.
Malcolm X was shot a total of 21 times. According to eyewitness accounts and the autopsy, the gunmen fired at him from close range, ensuring that he would not survive the attack.
The autopsy detailed that:
1. Shotgun wounds to the chest: The most fatal of Malcolm X’s injuries were caused by the shotgun blast that hit his chest. The autopsy revealed that Malcolm was struck in the chest at least once by the shotgun, which caused multiple large wounds. The pellets from the shotgun blast caused extensive internal damage, shredding vital organs such as the heart and lungs.
2. Wounds from handguns: In addition to the shotgun blast, Malcolm X was also struck by bullets from semi-automatic pistols. These bullets hit him in various parts of his body, including his arms and legs. The autopsy revealed that he was hit at least 10 times by these bullets, contributing to the damage.
Autopsy Findings
The official autopsy, conducted by the medical examiner’s office in New York City, confirmed the extent of Malcolm X’s injuries:
• Multiple gunshot wounds: The autopsy found that Malcolm had been shot 21 times, with gunshot wounds concentrated on his chest, arms, and legs.
• Fatal chest wounds: The shotgun blast to his chest was considered the most lethal injury. It caused massive trauma, leading to immediate internal bleeding and damage to his heart, lungs, and major blood vessels.
• Damage to vital organs: The pellets from the shotgun caused extensive damage to Malcolm X’s internal organs. The autopsy noted that his heart and lungs were irreparably damaged by the shotgun blast, and several bullets fired from handguns also contributed to the internal injuries.
The autopsy concluded that Malcolm X died almost instantly due to the severe trauma caused by these gunshot wounds. The cause of death was officially listed as “multiple gunshot wounds to the chest” leading to “severe internal hemorrhaging.”
In the aftermath, the assailants were identified as members of the Nation of Islam. One of them, Talmadge Hayer (also known as Thomas Hagan), was caught and beaten by the crowd. The other two men, Norman 3X Butler and Thomas 15X Johnson, were also convicted of Malcolm X’s murder. However, Hayer consistently maintained that Butler and Johnson were innocent, even signing affidavits in the late 1970s asserting that they had not been involved in the killing.
The True Shooter: William Bradley?
According to the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography The Dead Are Arising by Les Payne and Tamara Payne, the man who fired the fatal shotgun blast that killed Malcolm X was William Bradley, a Nation of Islam member from Newark, New Jersey. Known by his Muslim name, Al-Mustafa Shabazz had been a member of Mosque No. 25 in Newark and was identified as the man who fired the sawed-off shotgun.
Bradley’s involvement was brought to light during the Netflix documentary Who Killed Malcolm X? which reignited public interest in the case. However, despite Hayer’s testimonies and mounting evidence pointing to Bradley as the actual shooter, authorities were slow to act. For decades, the identities of the other assailants remained a subject of contention.
Wrongful Convictions and Exoneration
In 1966, Talmadge Hayer, Norman Butler, and Thomas Johnson were convicted of Malcolm X’s murder. Hayer confessed to the crime but maintained that Butler and Johnson were not involved. Despite his repeated assertions, Butler and Johnson were sentenced to life in prison. It wasn’t until 2021, over half a century later, that the truth would finally come to light.
On 18th November 2021, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. exonerated Butler, now known as Muhammad Abdul Aziz, and Johnson, known as Khalil Islam, of the crime. A lengthy review of the case, spurred by the Netflix docuseries, revealed that FBI documents, eyewitness reports, and other crucial evidence had been suppressed during the original trial. Both men had spent decades in prison for a crime they did not commit. Butler was paroled in 1985, while Johnson was released in 1987. Johnson, however, died in 2009, maintaining his innocence until the end.
The Role of the Nation of Islam
The question of the Nation of Islam’s involvement in Malcolm X’s assassination has long been debated. It is widely accepted that members of the NOI, including Bradley and Hayer, were responsible for carrying out the assassination. Malcolm X had openly accused the organisation of plotting his death, and public statements by NOI leaders, including Louis Farrakhan, had fuelled the animosity.
Farrakhan, who rose to prominence within the NOI after Malcolm X’s death, later made statements that many interpreted as a tacit admission of the organisation’s involvement. In a 1993 speech, Farrakhan declared that Malcolm X was a traitor to the Nation, and hinted that his assassination was a matter of internal discipline. However, Farrakhan has always stopped short of directly admitting to the NOI’s role in the murder.
FBI Involvement and COINTELPRO
The FBI’s role in Malcolm X’s assassination remains shrouded in suspicion. The Bureau’s COINTELPRO programme, which aimed to disrupt black nationalist movements, certainly had Malcolm X in its crosshairs. It is also known that John Ali, a close aide to Elijah Muhammad and national secretary of the Nation of Islam, was an FBI informant. Malcolm himself had confided that Ali was his “archenemy” within the NOI and had exacerbated the tensions that led to his death.
The exact nature of the FBI’s involvement—whether they orchestrated, facilitated, or merely observed the assassination—remains unclear. However, what is certain is that the Bureau had ample evidence of the threats to Malcolm X’s life and chose to do nothing.
A Legacy of Questions
Malcolm X’s assassination was a pivotal moment in American history, yet it remains clouded by controversy and conspiracy. While the exoneration of Butler and Johnson has righted a historical wrong, many questions remain unanswered. Was the FBI complicit in the murder? Did the Nation of Islam act alone, or were they influenced by external forces? And why did it take so long for the truth to emerge?
The most significant development occurred in November 2021, when Muhammad Abdul Aziz (formerly Norman 3X Butler) and Khalil Islam (formerly Thomas 15X Johnson) were formally exonerated after spending decades behind bars. This came after a re-investigation triggered by the Netflix documentary series Who Killed Malcolm X? and a subsequent review by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
The re-investigation uncovered critical pieces of new evidence, including:
1. FBI and NYPD Withheld Evidence: During the original trial, the FBI and NYPD had crucial information that could have exonerated Aziz and Islam. This included testimonies and files from FBI informants who were present at the Audubon Ballroom on the day of the assassination. These informants identified other assailants and corroborated the fact that neither Aziz nor Islam were involved. The prosecution failed to disclose this evidence to the defence.
2. FBI Informants within the Nation of Islam: It emerged that the FBI had multiple informants embedded within the NOI. One of these informants reported that Malcolm X’s assassination was planned by NOI members from Newark, New Jersey, which aligned with later revelations that William Bradley (also known as William 25X), who was present at the scene, fired the fatal shotgun blast.
3. Misidentification of the Convicted: Both Aziz and Islam had long claimed innocence, and Talmadge Hayer (the only convicted man to admit guilt) consistently testified that they were not involved. Despite this, the prosecution pursued their convictions. Hayer’s testimony was ignored, and the affidavits he signed in the 1970s, identifying the real culprits, were not enough to reopen the case. This new evidence provided by the FBI files added weight to Hayer’s claims, leading to the exoneration of Aziz and Islam.
4. William Bradley’s Role as the Shooter: There has long been suspicion that William Bradley, an NOI member from Newark, was the individual who fired the sawed-off shotgun that delivered the fatal blow to Malcolm X. Although Bradley, who later changed his name to Al-Mustafa Shabazz, was never officially charged, he was named in the Netflix documentary as the key assassin. Bradley lived openly in Newark until his death in 2018, fuelling suspicions about the extent of law enforcement’s involvement or negligence.
The FBI and NYPD’s Role
The FBI’s COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Program), designed to infiltrate and disrupt civil rights organisations, had a vested interest in monitoring and neutralising Malcolm X, who had become increasingly outspoken about both racial injustice in America and his disillusionment with the NOI. New evidence supports long-standing theories that FBI agents within the NOI exacerbated tensions between Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad. For instance, John Ali, the national secretary of the NOI and one of Elijah Muhammad’s close aides, was suspected of being an FBI informant.
Furthermore, there are questions about why there was such minimal police presence at the Audubon Ballroom during the speech, despite prior knowledge of threats against Malcolm X. Some speculate that the FBI or NYPD intentionally allowed the assassination to happen, either through direct involvement or through calculated inaction, although no definitive proof has emerged to substantiate these claims.
Continuing Investigation
The exoneration of Aziz and Islam did not bring full closure to the case, and there are still calls for further investigation into the FBI’s and NYPD’s involvement. In 2022, Malcolm X’s family announced plans to file a lawsuit against the FBI, NYPD, and other government agencies, alleging a conspiracy to cover up critical information about his assassination.
The investigation and reassessment of Malcolm X’s assassination remain ongoing, with historians and investigators still trying to piece together the full extent of the conspiracy behind his murder. While the exoneration of Aziz and Islam was a major breakthrough, questions remain about the roles played by individuals like William Bradley, John Ali, and various government entities in Malcolm X’s tragic death.
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