German Girl Invents Kidnap Story after Fearing Parents’ Reaction over Haircut

A 10-year-old German girl who gave herself a radical haircut and then feared her parents' reaction claimed she was kidnapped by a man armed with a pair of scissors, authorities said Wednesday.

Police spokesman Thorsten Schiewe in the northern city of Hanover said the girl ran to a neighbor Tuesday with the story that someone had broken into her house, threatened her with scissors and held her captive for a short time.

The neighbor alerted the police, Schiewe said.

"Officers went to the scene, took down statements and launched a manhunt for a supposed perpetrator on the run," he said. "We dispatched a few police cars."

The girl admitted hours later that she and her brother had found the scissors in the basement and given themselves a major trim.