Catholic nun faces charges after stabbing herself then falsely reporting that she was attacked by Muslim immigrant

Wednesday, December 3, 2025 - A young nun in Croatia, who claimed she had been st@bbed by a Muslim immigrant, resulting in an anti-migrant furore, has now been accused of inflicting the wounds on herself.

Police in Croatia’s capital city of Zagreb suspect that 35-year-old nun, Sister Marija Tatjana Zrno, stabbed herself and then falsely reported that she had been attacked, according to a report published by the Zagreb Police Department. 

The department is filing a criminal complaint against the 35-year-old nun after a four-day investigation into the allegations. 

The initial incident made national headlines, with many people first speculating it was a religiously motivated attack. 

According to the report, Sister Zrno told police that an unknown perpetrator approached her with a knife and stabbed her on Friday, Nov. 28.

Sister Zrno, a Sisters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul sister in Zagreb, was said to be recovering in the Sisters of Charity Hospital Centre after being stabbed several times in what early reports suggest may have been a religiously motivated assault. 

Croatian Police immediately opened a criminal investigation and Church officials confirmed the nun was stable and expected to recover. 

The alleged attack took place in the residential district of Malešnica. According to her congregation, the sister was struck in the abdomen with a sharp object, and managed to walk back to her convent before being taken for emergency treatment at the Sisters of Charity University Hospital Centre. 

Paramedics admitted her at approximately 3pm with a wound inflicted by a sharp object in the area of the abdominal wall. Hospital representatives said she had arrived accompanied by someone known to her, and confirmed that her injuries were not life-threatening. 

Local media reported that the assailant may have shouted religious slogans, including the Arabic phrase “Allahu akbar”, during the attack, according to unverified eyewitness claims. 

According to the police report, she was discharged on Dec. 1. 

The Croatian government’s official X account posted that police and health workers took all necessary measures and actions and launched an investigation. 

Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević told local media at the time that his primary focus was on Zrno’s recovery but asked police to fully investigate the incident and publish their findings as soon as possible, noting that many people in the country were upset about the news.

The police said the department’s criminal investigation has now found the claims made by Sister Zrno to be false and said the department fully refutes those claims.

Police allege their investigation confirmed that Zrno purchased the weapon herself at a store in the Zagreb area. The police allege that their investigation determined that she inflicted the injury on herself.

The report alleges that Sister Zrno falsely reported the criminal offense with the intent of misleading the police, despite being aware that filing a false report carries a penalty. 

The police are filing a criminal complaint with the Municipal State Attorney’s office.

Sister Zrno, born in Šujica,is a religion teacher at a Zagreb primary school and is known for her pastoral work with young people and her love of football.