Deathbed confession says NYPD, FBI responsible for Malcolm X assassination

Wyatt Reed
Press TV, Washington

Malcolm X has long been seen as a martyr who gave his life for the cause of Black liberation. Now, 56 years on since his dramatic killing, a letter written by a now-deceased NYPD officer is giving further credibility to what many authors, activists, and scholars have long alleged: the US government played a decisive role in Malcolm’s execution. 

Daughters of slain Black liberation icon Malcolm X held a press conference Sunday publicizing a letter by Raymond Wood, an undercover cop with the New York Police Department, which he apparently penned before his death and left in the care of a family member. In it, Wood revealed he played a pivotal role in facilitating Malcolm’s assassination when his government handlers ordered him to "encourage leaders and members of civil rights groups to commit felonious acts. 

Revelations show FBI, New York police behind killing of US Muslim leader Malcolm X

New revelations show the FBI and the New York Police Department were behind the killing of famed Black activist, Malcolm X, in 1965.

The operation was an apparent success. Robert Bowe and Khaleel Sayyed, men who Wood called “key players in Malcolm X’s crowd control security detail,” were locked up and out of the picture. Malcolm was left virtually unprotected when armed assailants believed to be associated with the Nation of Islam’s Mosque No. 25 in Newark, New Jersey, burst into the Audobon Ballroom and executed the revolutionary leader at point-blank range.

Wood’s deathbed confession is also notable because it reveals another member of Malcolm’s entourage was tried and convicted on bogus charges to protect the officer’s identity. And he said that, at virtually every level of government, the state was responsible.

In a statement Monday, the FBI didn’t deny involvement, noting instead that their New York field office is QUOTE aware of recent reporting regarding the circumstances surrounding Malcom X's death... and [has] worked with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office to assist in its review of the matter. The FBI claims it stands for the noble pursuit of justice. What’s left unsaid is just when that policy ostensibly came into effect, and whether yesterday’s FBI played by the same rules.