The question “Who Killed Malcolm X And Why?” has resurfaced with renewed intensity following the exoneration of two men wrongly convicted in his assassination. A Netflix documentary series, “Who Killed Malcolm X?”, hosted by Abdur-Rahman Muhammad, played a crucial role in bringing new attention to the case and arguing for the innocence of the convicted men. This ultimately led to a reinvestigation initiated by Mr. Vance.
Adding further weight to the re-examination, the biography “The Dead Are Arising” by Les and Tamara Payne identified Mr. Bradley (later known as Al-Mustafa Shabazz) as one of the actual assassins. This book received significant acclaim, winning both a National Book Award and a Pulitzer Prize.
Abdur-Rahman Muhammad expressed satisfaction that justice was partially served for Malcolm X and the wrongly convicted men. Phil Bertelsen, co-executive producer of the documentary, hopes these exonerations will push Congress to investigate the federal government’s potential role in the case. Tamara Payne also emphasized that while the review is a step forward, it does not answer why those truly responsible were not investigated and prosecuted.
The reinvestigation, in collaboration with lawyers for Mr. Islam and Mr. Aziz, reviewed existing evidence, including the FBI file on Mr. Bradley, who denied involvement through his lawyer before his death in 2018. While these exonerations represent a significant development, the underlying question of who killed Malcolm X and why, and the full extent of responsibility, continues to demand answers.
