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Malcolm X was murdered in NY nearly 60 years ago. A witness now claims proof of NYPD involvement.
By
Arun Venugopal
Published Jul 25, 2023
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Arun Venugopal / Gothamist
By
Arun Venugopal
Published Jul 25, 2023
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Nearly six decades after the shooting death of Malcolm X, a man who claims to have witnessed the assassination spoke up for the first time, and contends that law enforcement played a role in the 1965 killing.
The revelations, said civil rights attorney Ben Crump at a Tuesday press conference, further necessitated reopening an investigation into the crime.
“The government was involved in the conspiracy to kill Malcolm X,” Crump said at the Audubon Ballroom on West 165th Street in Manhattan, where the killing took place.
For decades, supporters of Malcolm X have contended that the government played a hand in his death, and revelations in recent years have added fuel to the fire. These include statements from former Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance in 2021 that then-FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover ordered witnesses to not tell investigators they were federal informants.
We want the truth to be known. And we want justice to be served.
Ilyasah Shabazz, the daughter of Malcolm X
In a court affidavit that was released to the public, Mustafa Hassan, 84, said he was a member of the Organization of African American Unity, a group formed by Malcolm X in 1964, and was part of the security detail on the day of the fatal shooting.
Hassan said that after a “series of gunshots” at the Audubon Ballroom he encountered a man “running down the aisle towards the exit where I had been posted with a gun in his hand.” Hassan claimed he knocked down the man, whom he identified as Talmadge X. Hayer, who was eventually convicted of the killing, along with two other men.
Moments later, Hassan said he saw Hayer outside, and heard one police officer ask another, “Is he one of ours?” in reference to Hayer.
That question, said Hassan, made it clear that Hayer was an informant.
“No doubt in my mind,” said Hassan.
Mustafa Hassan, at a press conference in New York on Tuesday, said he was a member of the Organization of African American Unity, a group formed by Malcolm X in 1964, and was part of the security detail on the day of the fatal shooting. He identified himself in a photograph taken on Feb. 15, 1965, the day of the crime.
Arun Venugopal / Gothamist
The NYPD did not respond to questions about the claims made by Hassan. Last year, the city agreed to a $36 million payout after the exoneration of two men who were wrongfully convicted in the murder, Muhammad Aziz and Khalil Islam, who died in 2009. Hayer, also known as Thomas Hagen, was paroled in 2010.
The New York Times reported in 2021, after the exoneration of Aziz and Islam, that Hayer now answered to the name Mujahid Halim.
At the time, he expressed elation that the two men had been cleared. He has previously acknowledged his role in the crime, along with other Nation of Islam members, and said Aziz and Islam were innocent.
“God bless you, they’re exonerated,” he told a reporter.
He could not be reached for comment on Hassan's charges.
Malcolm X's family is suing the NYPD and federal law enforcement agencies for allegedly concealing evidence related to the assassination.
Crump said he hopes the revelations from Hassan will help generate public pressure upon the Biden administration and the Department of Justice to re-open the federal government's investigation into the killing and the extent to which law enforcement played a role.
“We want the truth to be known,” Ilyasah Shabazz, the daughter of Malcolm X, told Tuesday's gathering. “And we want justice to be served.”
Tagged
Race And Justice Unit
assassination
audobon ballroom
malcolm x
Arun Venugopal
Arun Venugopal is a senior reporter for the WNYC and Gothamist Race & Justice Unit who focuses on issues of race and bias in our region. His reporting also tackles the topics of immigration, faith, and inequality. Arun serves as the regular fill-in host of the station's "U.S. of Anxiety" program. Arun was the creator and host of Micropolis, a series about race and identity. He is a contributor to NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered. He has appeared on PBS Newshour, On the Media and Studio 360, and has been published in The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal and Salon. He also frequently serves as an emcee and moderator of panel discussions on race, religion, and identity issues and has been a guest host of NPR's "Fresh Air." He lives with his family in Queens.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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