Malcolm X was killed because of his break from the Nation of Islam (NOI) and his public repudiation of its leader Elijah Muhammad. After Malcolm X left the NOI in 1964 and formed the Organization of Afro-American Unity, he openly criticized the NOI's leadership and its teachings. This led to escalating tensions and threats against his life by NOI members. On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City by gunmen who were members of the Nation of Islam. Two of the men convicted of the murder were later exonerated, and there has been speculation about conspiracies involving NOI, law enforcement agencies, and the FBI. The assassination happened amid a backdrop of threats, intimidation, and violence related to Malcolm X's break with the NOI and his change in ideology toward orthodox Sunni Islam and broader civil rights activism.