The stepfather of late rapper Tupac Shakur has been released from prison 40 years after a heist that left two police officers and a security guard dead.
Mutulu Shakur was supposed to be serving a 60 year sentence, but was granted release by the the US Parole Commission, on the grounds of his 'exemplary conduct' and his terminal illness.
The 72-year-old former Black Liberation Army member is now considered to be too 'infirm of body and mind' to pose a threat to society, according to leaked court documents.
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Shakur was married to Tupac's mother Afeni Shakur between 1975 and 1982.
As a member of the the radical group 'The Family', which was made up of members of the Black Liberation Army and the Weather Underground, Shakur had a hand in a number of robberies between 1976 and 1981.
He was put behind bars for his part in the Brinks attack in Rockland County, New York, which targeted money belonging to a private security company.
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The robbery, which took place on October 21, 1981, saw a crew shoot and kill security guard Peter Paige, whilst stealing $1.6 million from the armoured truck at the Nanuet Mall.
Whilst attempting to escape, the gang hit a roadblock on the New York State Thruway, where they opened fire on police officers.
Police Sgt Edward O'Grady and Officer Waverly 'Chipper' Brown were killed.
Shakur was on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List for years after the horrific crime, before he was caught by federal agents on February 12 1986.
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Shakur had been up for mandatory parole determination in 2016 after serving 30 years of his sentence, but his release was denied - a decision repeated in 2018 and early 2022.
However, Shakur is now a free man, though his release has long been opposed by law enforcement officers.
Others involved in the Brinks robbery have already been released from prison, including Kathy Boudin, who walked free in 2003, Judith Clark, who was released in 2019 and David Gilbert, who finished his sentence in October this year.
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Shakur's step-son, Tupac, was shot dead in 1996.
His stepfather founded a New-York based organisation Dare 2 Struggle, which released a 10 year anniversary tribute album for Tupac called A 2Pac Tribute: Dare 2 Struggle.
Shakur has also been interviewed for a Oscar nominated documentary about his stepson Tupac: Resurrection.
Ben Thompson