NYPD and FBI conspiracy in Malcolm X assassination

Record	OBS-0518
Category	History/Assassinations
Status	UNPROVEN
Summary	Proponents claim that the NYPD and FBI conspired to assassinate Malcolm X, based on a deathbed letter from former undercover officer Ray Wood. The letter allegedly states that Wood was responsible for ensuring Malcolm X's security detail was arrested days before the assassination, leaving him vulnerable. This claim has led to calls for reopening the investigation.
Origin	The claim emerged in February 2021, when lawyers for Malcolm X's family and Ray Wood's family revealed the alleged deathbed letter.
Claimed	Ray Wood, an undercover NYPD officer, wrote a deathbed letter confessing that the NYPD and FBI conspired to kill Malcolm X. Wood's role was to ensure Malcolm X's security detail was arrested days before the assassination, leaving him without protection at the Audubon Ballroom. The assassination was a conspiracy perpetrated by the NYPD and FBI.
Evidence / consensus	The official investigation and convictions focused on three Nation of Islam members. Two of those convictions were overturned in 2021, but no official finding has substantiated the NYPD/FBI conspiracy claim. The Manhattan DA's review is ongoing, and the FBI and NYPD have stated they are cooperating.

> OBSERVER NOTE:
A deathbed letter is a classic conspiracy artifact-unverifiable and self-serving. The DA's review may clarify, but as of now this is allegation, not evidence.

Sources

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