{
  "id": 17026283,
  "title": "President Sheikh Mohamed offers to teach flydubai hero Smit Machchhar some jiu-jitsu moves",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/president-sheikh-mohamed-offers-to-teach-flydubai-hero-smit-machchhar-17026283",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-29T07:19:13.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National Business",
    "slug": "the-national-business",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/uae/2026/10/29/president-sheikh-mohamed-offers-to-teach-flydubai-hero-smit-machchhar-some-jiu-jitsu-moves/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "UAE President Sheikh Mohamed has offered to teach flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar some jiu-jitsu moves to help him heal from the recent attack. Capt Smit was severely injured when his co-pilot struck him repeatedly with an axe during a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. The incident occurred on September 30 when the pilot's aircraft plummeted 17,000 feet in less than a minute, eventually landing safely in Saudi Arabia. During an event in Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed warmly embraced the Indian aviator, inquiring about his recovery during a good-humored exchange. He jokingly suggested imparting jiu-jitsu training once Capt Smit had fully healed, which he predicted would take about two months. The pilot and his crew were praised for their bravery and dedication to passenger safety by UAE leaders, who conferred the First Class Order of Zayed II upon them. The attacker, an Omani co-pilot, confessed to planning a 9/11-style attack on Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport, motivated by the 2001 September 11 attacks.",
  "summary": "President Sheikh Mohamed has delivered a heartfelt message of support to hero flydubai pilot Capt Smit Machchhar and his courageous crew, telling them they will always be part of the “UAE family”. Sheikh Mohamed warmly embraced the Indian aviator and inquired about his recovery in a good-humoured exchange during an event held in Abu Dhabi, in which he jokingly offered to supply with him jiu-jitsu…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Hindustan Times - World News",
        "title": "UAE president says ‘I want to train you how to fight’ to Smit Machchhar, inspects his stitches",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/uae-president-says-i-want-to-train-you-how-to-fight-to-smit-machchhar",
        "published": "2026-10-29T02:16:20.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Indian Express",
        "title": "‘When will you heal?’: UAE President offers combat training to flydubai pilot Smit Machchar",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/when-will-you-heal-uae-president-offers-combat-training-to-flydubai",
        "published": "2026-10-29T04:37:43.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}