Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam, took to Instagram to defend his name this week, cutting straight to the chase within the very first sentence: "I did not kill Malcolm X."
Malcolm X was assassinated on February 21, 1965, while giving a speech at the Audubon Ballroom in New York. His death caused a rumble throughout the black, civil rights and Nation of Islam (NOI) communities.
Following the assassination, many people within the NOI began to suspect the organization's leader of spearheading the plot. X had once been the Nation's face but left the group after a very public dispute with its leaders.
Farrakhan has vehemently denied all accusations of being involved with X's death ever since they were thrown at him. Malcolm's murder was never solved, and now, Farrakhan is returning to the activist's death with renewed vigor, even requesting the U.S. government reopen the case.
“The enemy is so frightened that black people listen to Farrakhan that they put it out that Farrakhan had something to do with the murder of Malcolm X. This is how wicked the media is," Farrakhan wrote on February 19, two days before the 53rd anniversary of Malcolm's assassination.
"Don't you know as much as they hate me, if they had any proof that I did something like that, don't you know they would take me off the street in the twinkling of an eye and bury me under the jail? I had nothing to do with my brother's death, but I am what I am because I am a good student," Farrakhan continued, adding that he "learned a lot" from Malcolm X.
Farrakhan's name has been connected to Malcolm's murder in part due to statements he made publicly about the civil rights leader. Before X's death, Farrakhan referred to Malcolm as a traitor and "a man worthy of death," according to News.com.
Malcolm's widow, Betty Shabazz, also said in a 1994 WNBC-TV interview that she believed Farrakhan was involved in her late husband's murder, which Farrakhan denied, according to The New York Times.
Of course, Farrakhan's most recent post made waves on social media, which prompted him to go one step further in the comment section.
"At no time has the government opened the files on that murder of Brother Malcolm, and let the public see those files," wrote Farrakhan. He added that he has appealed to the government to re-open the files so that any questions about his involvement can be put to rest for the Shabazz family, as well as his own.
