A Boise State student has confessed to staging a hate crime against himself--and now faces criminal charges:

The Boise State student who reported being beaten on the Greenbelt last week, now says the attack never happened.

The student, a 20-year-old man, first told police he had been targeted and beaten because he was gay. He made the claim a week ago, saying he had been attacked on the Greenbelt near the BSU campus. He said several other students beat him up.

He said made it clear they targeted him because of his sexual orientation.

In response to the report of an on-campus attack, BSU administration issued a safety alert. The student government organized a huge rally on Tuesday and this candlelight vigil was held Wednesday -- both to speak out against hate and show support for the alleged victim.

That student confessed to police today he wasn't beat up by others, but used sticks and his own fists to self-inflict his injuries. The 20-year-old had also initially reported his car was vandalized with anti-gay statements, but now police say all other evidence the student claimed was connected to the attack was fabricated.

Very soon after he reported being beaten up, the student sent out two e-mails asking the media not to give the incident any more attention, saying he "wanted it to go away."

It may be too late for that. Boise police say they will turn over all the information they have to Ada County prosecutors, who could charge the student with filing a false police report.

Filing a false police report is a misdemeanor with a penalty of up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.