Lawyers and relatives of Malcolm X released a letter claiming that the FBI and NYPD conspired to his death exactly 56 years ago.
In February, Ben Crump, civil rights lawyer, revealed the note as a confession from Ray Wood on his deathbed.
Wood wrote in his letter that Malcolm X was killed by the FBI and NYPD. He was shot to death at Harlem’s Audubon Ballroom on February 21st 1965 during a demonstration.
According to his claims, he was forced by NYPD supervisors on Malcolm X’s security team into committing the crimes which led to their arrest days before the shooting.
According to the letter, these arrests prevented the men from controlling the door security in the ballroom the night Malcolm died.
Wood explained in the letter that “My job was infiltrating civil rights organisations throughout New York City, in order to find evidence criminal activity so the FBI could discredit or arrest its leaders.”
“Under my handlers’ direction, I was directed to encourage civil right group leaders to engage in felonious acts.”
Lawyers and relatives of Malcolm X have published a letter claiming that the FBI and NYPD conspired to murder him exactly 56 years ago. Reggie Wood is Ray Wood’s cousin.
Wood’s cousin Reggie Wood revealed that Wood confessed to him during the conference when he was convinced his cancer would worsen. He was eventually cured and lived to November 2020.
His later statement, dated January 25, 2011 by the ex-officer, stated that he was acting under coercion and fear of reprisal.
After witnessing the repeated cruelty of my officers (police), I wanted to resign. Instead I was threatened by arrest and pinned marijuana trafficking and other charges against me if my assignments were not completed.
Wood claimed on February 16, 1965 that he had coerced Malcolm X’s security team into planning a bombing of the Statue of Liberty.
Police foiled the plan and two of the men were arrested days prior to the assassination. Wood said that he didn’t know Malcolm X was being targeted at the time.
Wood signed the correspondence and asked his cousin to keep the details until his death.
“It’s my hope that the information received is understood that I was carrying these secrets with a heavy soul and deeply regret my role in this matter.
Reggie Wood Wood said Saturday that Wood confessed to being involved in the 2011 incident when he was convinced his cancer would worsen. He was eventually cured and lived to November 2020.
Reggie Wood explained, “For ten years, this confession has been kept secretly out of fear for what might happen to me and my family if the government discovered what I knew,”
Malcolm X’s daughters, Qubiliah and Ilyasah Shabazz, joined Ben Crump, civil rights lawyer, to demand that the murder investigation be reopened due to the ‘new evidence shared’ on Saturday.
Ilyasah Sharazz said that any evidence providing more information about the tragedy’s truth should be fully investigated.
Malcolm X was shot just seconds after stepping up to a lectern in the Audubon Ballroom to give his speech on February 21st 1965.
After Malcom X was shot at a rally, two police officers carry a stretcher with Malcom X on it.
Later, an autopsy revealed that he suffered 21 gunshot wounds in his chest and arms.
The former officer stated in his letter dated January 25, 2011, that he did so under threat of reprisals and was forced to do his act.
Ray Hamlin stated that the aim of Attorney Ray Hamlin was to talk about Restorative Justice as lawyers. He also suggested that he would pursue unrelenting justice.
“On behalf of Malcolm X’s legacy, Dr. Betty Shabazz on behalf his family, his lineage, who are here.
Mujahid Abdul Haim, also known as Talmadge Hayer or Thomas Hagan), Muhammad Abdul Aziz and Khalil Islam were convicted of Malcolm X’s 1966 murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Halim confessed to the involvement in the assassination but he maintained that Aziz was not involved. The two men remained in their innocence through the years.
Islam perished in 2009, and Halim & Aziz have been released.
The Manhattan DA reviewed their Islam and Aziz convictions in the last year after meeting with members of the Innocence Project.
Now that the evidence has been presented, the DA’s Office states, “The review of the matter is ongoing and active.”
According to the NYPD, it stated in separate statements that they had provided all records pertinent to the case to the District attorney and that they remain committed to helping in any way possible.
FBI refused to comment.
Reggie Wood explained, “For ten years, this confession has been kept secretly out of fear for what might happen to me and my family if the government discovered what I knew,”
Malcolm X, a charismatic orator, rose to prominence in the role of national spokesperson for the Nation of Islam (an African-American Muslim organization that supported Black separatism).
The group lasted more than a decade before he began to feel disillusioned. He publicly broke off with it in 1964. His earlier opinions on the advantages of racial division were modified by him.
Malcolm X was shot just seconds after he walked to a lectern in the Audubon Ballroom to give his speech on February 21st 1965.
Seconds before, a man had stood up and yelled, ‘N***** get your hand out of my pocket!’
Malcolm X, his friends, and entourage tried to stop the trouble, but a man ran up towards Malcolm X’s stage and shot him in both the chest and the abdomen with a sawed shotgun. Then, two men ran backwards and opened fire on Malcolm X with semi-automatic guns.
Columbia Presbyterian was called and the activist for civil rights was taken to Columbia Presbyterian, where he died shortly after arriving at 3:30pm.
Later, an autopsy revealed that he suffered 21 gunshot wounds in his chest and arms.
Thomas Hagan (22) struggles with officers who remove him from the area outside the ballroom, where Malcolm X died.
Ilyasah Shabazz stated that any evidence which provides more insight into this terrible tragedy must be investigated.
Malcolm X told a reporter days earlier that he thought members of Nation of Islam wanted to kill him.
The FBI was monitoring him at that time. The week prior to his death, Queens firefighters set fire to his home.
Conspiracies of police involvement began to circulate almost immediately after his assassination.
Many theories focused on how easy it was for the assassins to get into the ballroom.
Tony Bouza was one of the officers who were involved and later stated in his book ‘Manny Marable’s Malcolm X’ (2011) that the investigation was bungled.