Italian authorities have launched a shocking investigation into wealthy tourists who allegedly paid substantial sums to participate in what's being described as a 'human safari' during the brutal Siege of Sarajevo.
The Alleged 'Sniper Safari' Operation
Prosecutor Alessandro Gobbis is leading the investigation into claims that affluent individuals paid approximately £70,000 to join organised killing trips during the four-year siege that devastated Sarajevo between April 1992 and February 1996. The conflict resulted in more than 11,000 deaths, making it the longest siege in modern history.
According to court documents, these so-called 'weekend snipers' would allegedly gather in Trieste, northwestern Italy on Fridays before being flown to Bosnia for their grim excursions. The legal complaint states they paid loyalist militias supporting convicted war criminal President Radovan Karadzic for the opportunity to shoot defenceless civilians in the besieged city.
Chilling Price Lists and Methods
Journalist Ezio Gavazzeni, who filed the initial legal complaint of 'murder aggravated by cruelty and despicable motives', revealed disturbing details about the operation's mechanics. He claims participants were provided with price lists for different types of kills, with children costing the most and elderly people being free of charge.
Gavazzeni told La Repubblica that those involved were 'wealthy people with reputations' and 'entrepreneurs' who would return to their normal lives after their deadly weekends. "[A participant] left Trieste for the manhunt. And then he returned and continued his life as usual, respectable in everyone's eyes," he stated.
The 17-page court filing includes multiple testimonies, including that of American firefighter John Jordan, who volunteered during the siege and recalled seeing 'tourist shooters' who didn't appear to be locals.
Lasting Trauma and Ongoing Investigation
For survivors of the siege, these revelations confirm long-held suspicions. Dzemil Hodzic, who grew up in Sarajevo during the 1990s, told Al Jazeera: "My brother was killed by a Serb sniper while he was playing tennis in our neighbourhood. We will never know if it was one of those who paid to do so."
Although Serbia has denied involvement in the killings, investigators believe their intelligence services may have been aware of these tourist expeditions. The investigation aims to track down all participants in the alleged safaris, with Gavazzeni describing the case as exposing "a part of society that hides its truth under the carpet."
Radovan Karadzic, whose loyalist militias allegedly facilitated these trips, was convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Tribunal in 2016 and sentenced to life imprisonment following a 2019 appeal.
