Source: Underwood Archives / Getty
It’s been 59 years since the assassination of Malcolm X, and the conspiracy surrounding his untimely death still weighs heavy on a culture missing one of its greatest leaders.
MORE: What Was Malcolm X Working On When He Was Assassinated?
Attorney Ben Crump is doing his part to continue the fight for truth and justice in the murder of Malcolm X.
During a press conference Wednesday, Ben Crump introduced new witness testimony related to the 1964 assassination of Malcolm X.
According to CBS News, Crump introduced Khaleel Sultarn Sayyed, a former Malcolm X security team member. Sayyed claims he was falsely arrested by the NYPD days before the assassination.
“I believe I was detained in this conspiracy by the NYPD … and FBI in order to ensure Malcolm X’s planned assassination would be successful,” he said during the press conference.
Crump, who is representing Malcolm X’s family in a $100 million lawsuit, has demanded that government officials release files he believes will help solve the case.
“Why don’t you release the information?” said Crump during the press conference. “Why don’t you release the files, release the memos, release the reports, release the surveillance of Malcolm X? Fifty-nine years. How long is it gonna take for you to come clean?”
Crump also introduced testimony from another former security guard who claimed he was also detained by police on the day of the assassination.
“59 years later, what more excuses can you offer to why America cannot see what the government did involving the assassination of Malcolm X?” Crump said.
The day Malcolm X was assassinated will be etched in the history books forever. When we talk about his death, we usually have the same conversations. We talk about the Nation of Islam and how many believed the organization that took him in was the same one responsible for his death.
We also discuss the connection between his death and federal and New York government agencies, including the NYPD, FBI and CIA, which have long been contested.
In July 2023, during a press conference, Mustafa Hassan, 84, was introduced by attorney Ben Crump as “the witness who was right there beside Malcolm in the last moments of his life.”
After Crump told reporters that the FBI had many informants who withheld information about the assassination, Hassan was introduced and shared what he said he saw during that fateful day.
Hassan, then known as Richard Melvin Jones, read from an affidavit recounting the series of events that led to the assassination.
Hassan recalled that as Malcolm X began delivering his speech, someone yelled out, “n*gga, get your hand out my pocket” before a loud explosion caused disruption and led to gunshots ringing out.
Hassan said he ran toward the stage and saw a man fleeing down the aisle with a gun. That person was Talmadge Hayer – also known as Mujahid Abdul Halim – who later admitted he took part in the murder. Hassan said he knocked down Hayer and continued to the stage to see that Malcolm X was near death. Hassan said he was overcome with anger and ran back to find Hayer, who was already outside being beaten by Malcolm X’s followers.
“To this day, despite my presence inside and outside of the Audubon on that day, law enforcement never attempted to interview or attain a statement from me regarding what I had seen, heard and actually did that day,” Hassan said.
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