Two of the three men convicted of the 1965 assassination of Malcolm X are set to be formally exonerated on Thursday, more than 50 years after their wrongful convictions.
An almost two-year investigation led by the current Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance has found evidence pointing to the innocence of Muhammad Aziz and the late Khalil Islam.
Later on Thursday lawyers from the Innocence Project and for the two falsely convicted men, will file a motion to vacate the 1966 convictions.
In an interview with the New York Times, which first reported the story, Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance apologised for the failure of law enforcement after his investigation found evidence, including FBI documents, were withheld at the trail of the three men later convicted of Malcom X’s assassination.
The outspoken civil rights leader was gunned down at the Audubon Ballroom in northern Manhattan on February 21, 1965. Muhammed Aziz, now 83, was released in 1985 while Khalil Islam, released in 1987, continued to profess his innocence until his death in 2009.
A man later known as Thomas Hagan admitted he was one of three gunmen who shot Malcolm X but denied that Aziz and Islam were involved. Vance’s review which began in 2020 came after a Netflix documentary raised serious questions about the handling of the case.
