An alleged knife attack on a nun in the Croatian capital Zagreb has turned out to be fabricated.
According to the police, the 35-year-old nun had claimed to have been attacked by an unknown man in the street.
As the investigators announced on Tuesday forensic examination showed that she had inflicted the minor injuries herself with a previously purchased knife.
The police called an emergency doctor on Friday after initial indications of possible self-harm.
The nun was eventually taken to a clinic, where doctors diagnosed only minor injuries.
Despite her report of an alleged assault, the investigation revealed that no criminal offence had been committed against her.
Meanwhile, unsubstantiated claims spread on social media that a stranger with a migrant background had attacked the nun and shouted "Allahu Akbar".
These allegations triggered a controversial public debate.
False allegations
The police clearly refuted the speculation: "In view of the fact that unverified and false allegations about an attack by an unknown man on the nun were spread in some media, we emphasise that these have been proven to be incorrect by the criminal investigation."
The police are now initiating proceedings against the 35-year-old nun from the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul on suspicion of false accusation.
The case will be handed over to the public prosecutor's office.
The nun comes from Bosnia and Herzegovina and works as a religion teacher at a primary school in Zagreb. She is also known for her passion for football.
Among other things, she presented sports programmes for a Catholic television station.