University lecturer receives Norway’s highest bravery award for stopping knife attack

A university lecturer who threw herself onto an armed attacker to save a colleague’s life will receive one of Norway’s rarest honours, the Dagbladet newspaper reports.

Mia Heimdal, a lecturer at the University of Oslo, acted without hesitation when a student suddenly pulled out a knife during a routine meeting on 24 August 2023. Her intervention prevented further injury to her colleague, Ingunn Björnsdóttir, who suffered life-threatening wounds in the attack.

“I stood up so fast the chair flew back, then I ran at him and threw myself onto his back,” Heimdal told Dagbladet. On 20 April, she will be awarded the Carnegie Hero Fund’s gold medal, given for life-risking rescue efforts under extreme danger.

Ragnhild Hennum, rector of the University of Oslo, called Heimdal’s actions “invaluable.” Björnsdóttir, who survived multiple stab and slash wounds, stated: “She put her own life at risk to save mine—that deserves celebration.”

The attacker, a student who had failed an exam twice, was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison after appeals were rejected in June 2025. Heimdal suffered hand and arm injuries requiring 14 stitches but refused to let go until others restrained the assailant.

In the aftermath, she struggled with hypervigilance and trauma but credited NAV-funded treatment with helping her recover. The university reviewed its safety protocols following the incident, which rector Hennum described as “extremely serious” with lasting consequences for those involved.