Teenage Russian-German girl admitted to making up a story about being kidnapped and raped by migrants in Berlin, according to state prosecutors.
13-year-old Lisa, as named in court proceedings, was reported to be missing on January 11 after she failed to appear at school in Marzahn district of the German capital.
She appeared after 30 hours with injuries on her face, telling her parents she had been attacked by men of Middle Eastern or North African origin. Subsequently, news of the incident sparked an outrage among Berlin’s Russian-German community.
According to spokesperson for the state prosecutor, “she immediately admitted that the story of the rape was not true after being questioned three days later by trained specialists.”
The allegations had already caused uproar in Berlin, particularly after reports of mass sexual assaults allegedly carried out by migrants in Cologne.
Protests were carried out by Russian-German community as well as far-right National Democratic Party.
The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, also criticised authorities in Berlin.
“The news that she disappeared was kept secret for a long time,” he told a press conference.
According to Lisa’s mother, Lisa was receiving treatment in a psychiatric ward.