The pinnacle of a drone-manufacturing firm whose purchasers embrace the Israel Protection Forces mentioned his enterprise is being booted from the city-run Brooklyn Navy Yard due to NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s “pro-Palestine” agenda.
The Brooklyn Navy Yard Improvement Corp. — whose board members serve on the pleasure of the mayor and handle the 300-acre industrial park — introduced final week it was not renewing the corporate’s lease, citing “enterprise causes.”
Shahar Abuhazira, CEO of Straightforward Aerial, instructed The Publish Thursday he has since discovered via “non-public conversations” with Navy Yard board members that Mamdani – who was sworn in as mayor Jan. 1 — is behind the ouster that ends the corporate’s seven-year relationship with NYC.
“They instructed me there undoubtedly was stress from the mayor’s workplace and beneficial not combating it,” he mentioned.
The corporate has lengthy been the goal of protests at the previous Navy shipyard since Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 and initiated a conflict in Gaza, primarily from a gaggle known as “Demilitarize Brooklyn Navy Yard” that has demanded the board evict tenants that help Israel.
Safety immediately over Straightforward Aerial on the Navy Yard “instantly” turned extra lax as soon as Mamdani turned mayor, claimed Abuhazira, citing a collection of latest break-in makes an attempt he mentioned led to damaged home windows and different injury on the industrial park.
Throughout a Feb. 11 rally, the anti-Israel protestors gained entry into the foyer of the constructing Straightforward Aerial rents for six hours. At one level, they freely taunted the corporate’s co-founder Ivan Stamatovski as NYPD cops escorted him to elevators, video posted by the protesters on Instagram exhibits.
Straightforward Aerial assists the Israel Protection Forces by supplying surveillance drones for reconnaissance missions and monitoring borders alongside the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, however most of its work is with the US Air Drive and different federal companies.
Its spies-in-the-sky have been used to monitor suspicious exercise alongside the Mexican border, and its high-profile work additionally consists of Tremendous Bowl safety.
Abuhazira mentioned the 100-employee firm has obtained provides to relocate out of the Massive Apple since The Publish broke the information of its ouster however is making an attempt to stay in NYC as a result of its workers is generally Brooklyn-based. He additionally mentioned the corporate — which should depart the commercial park by the tip of June — is contemplating authorized motion.
”5 months in the past, we doubled the dimensions of our house, they usually had no points with that,” he mentioned. “However for the reason that new mayor obtained elected [in November], every part has modified.”
“That is one thing that’s going to trigger us plenty of injury,” he continued. “It’s not simple to maneuver an organization on such brief discover.”
The Mayor’s Workplace didn’t return messages, however Navy Yard spokesperson Claire Holmes insisted the choice was made earlier than Mamdani took workplace.
“BNYDC declined to resume Straightforward Aerial’s lease in December 2025 after repeated compliance points courting again to 2023, which embrace flying drones in unauthorized areas and improper utilization of utility sources,” she mentioned.
“BNYDC communicated with Straightforward Aerial about these points by telephone, electronic mail, and in-person over the past three years. There have been no different components in our choice.”
She additionally mentioned the Navy Yard “linked” Straightforward Aerial with the state’s financial growth arm, Empire State Improvement Corp., to assist it find one other New York house “in a bigger, much less dense setting with ample FAA-approved drone flight areas and easy accessibility to utility sources.”
