Croatian police: Religious sister falsely reported attack
Police said claims of a knife attack by an unknown perpetrator were false.
Croatian police said Tuesday that a religious sister who claimed to have been attacked by a stranger with a knife had actually harmed herself and then filed a false criminal report.
A source in Croatia told The Pillar that Sister Marija Tajana Zrno suffers from mental health challenges.
Zrno, a 35-year-old member of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, was injured Nov. 28 by a sharp object. She was admitted to a local hospital in Zagreb for treatment, where she was diagnosed with minor injuries, according to a local police report.
After being discharged from the hospital, Zrno filed a criminal report with police, saying she had been stabbed by an unknown perpetrator with a knife.
Several media outlets in both Croatian and English reported that the sister had been stabbed in the abdomen by an unknown assailant who shouted religious slogans, including “Allahu Akbar.”
Some outlets suggested the incident was a religiously motivated attack.
However, Croatian police denied these media accounts in a Dec. 2 statement.
After an “extensive criminal investigation,” the Zagreb Police Department determined that Zrno “had injured herself with a knife that she had previously purchased in a store in the Zagreb area,” the statement said.
The police reiterated that the claims of a knife attack by an unknown perpetrator were false. They announced that they were filing a criminal report against Zrno for falsely reporting a crime.
They said Zrno has been transported to “an appropriate health facility for the necessary medical care.”
A Croatian source told The Pillar that the religious sister had been taken to a psychiatric hospital for mental health treatment.
Zrno’s religious community -- the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul of the Province of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary–Zagreb -- issued a brief statement after the incident.
The community said it “would like to thank all the services involved, especially the medical staff and the police, for their help and cooperation.”
“Pointing out the importance of protecting the dignity and integrity of every person, the Province and the Congregation express their closeness and support, as well as their readiness for any further assistance to Sister Marija, and call for understanding and unity in prayer,” the statement said.