The news that Thomas Hagan, the man convicted of assassinating American civil-rights leader Malcolm X, is being released on parole came as a shock to many. Hagan, who mercilessly gun downed Malcolm X in Harlem’s Audubon Ballroom on 21 February 1965, was released at the age of 69 after serving a 45-year sentence. Former Nation of Islam member Hagan has said his actions were those of a young man who “acted out of rage on impulse and loyalty to religious leaders”. The Malcolm X Commemoration Committee criticized the decision, saying the crime was too serious to allow for his release.
