Italian authorities are investigating allegations that wealthy foreigners, including Italians, participated in "sniper tourism" during the Siege of Sarajevo, paying large sums to shoot civilians for sport .
The Milan Public Prosecutor's Office is investigating allegations that individuals, primarily wealthy Italian gun enthusiasts with far-right sympathies, traveled to Bosnia on "sniper safaris" during the 1992-1996 siege . These "war tourists" allegedly paid the equivalent of €80,000 to €100,000 (in today's value) for the experience . According to testimonies, a price list existed where participants paid different rates to target different types of civilians, with children costing the most .
The operation was logistically sophisticated. Participants reportedly gathered in Trieste, Italy, and flew to Belgrade via the Serbian airline Aviogenex . From there, Bosnian Serb soldiers escorted them to the hills surrounding Sarajevo, where they were given positions to shoot at civilians in the city below .
The current Italian investigation follows a legal complaint filed by journalist and novelist Ezio Gavazzeni, who was inspired by the 2022 documentary "Sarajevo Safari" by Slovenian director Miran Zupanic . Gavazzeni submitted a 17-page file to prosecutors, containing years of his research .
Crucial testimony comes from Edin Subasic, a former Bosnian military intelligence officer. Subasic states he first learned of the "safaris" in late 1993 from a captured Serbian soldier who reported seeing foreigners with hunting equipment . Subasic's superiors alerted Italy's SISMI military intelligence, which reportedly confirmed the activities and claimed to have stopped them a few months later . Former Sarajevo mayor Benjamina Karic also filed a criminal complaint in Bosnia, hoping to compel a local investigation .
For survivors of the siege, these allegations confirm long-held suspicions. Dzemil Hodzic, who founded the Sniper Alley Photo project, said weekends in Sarajevo were always especially dangerous, and information circulated about outsiders coming to shoot . The allegations have also prompted international action, with a U.S. congresswoman vowing to investigate whether any Americans participated .
While some British soldiers who served in Sarajevo have expressed skepticism, calling the allegations logistically difficult and an "urban myth" , the detailed accounts from intelligence officers and the ongoing official investigations lend new weight to the victims' stories .