Italy probes deadly 'human safari' in Sarajevo from 1990s
Over 10,000 people killed during the siege of Sarajevo (Photo: Getty Images)
Groups of men from Italy, Germany, France, and the UK may have taken part in a “human hunting” during the siege of Sarajevo. Italian investigators are currently identifying individuals involved in these bloody wartime activities in Bosnia, according to
Italy is investigating the possible involvement of Italians in sniper killings in besieged Sarajevo during the 1990s. Case documents indicate that some Italian citizens paid Bosnian Serb Army soldiers for the opportunity to shoot at civilians in the city.
Sarajevo, which was under siege from 1992 to 1996, is located in a valley, allowing militants to fire freely from surrounding elevated positions.
During the war, more than 10,000 people were killed in Sarajevo, with snipers — who fired indiscriminately, even at children — becoming the city’s symbol of terror.
According to reports, citizens from Italy, Germany, France, and the UK traveled to Bosnia for what has been called sniper tourism. Bosnian Serb military units reportedly escorted these tourists to the outskirts of the city, after which they opened fire on civilians.
Italian prosecutors, led by Alessandro Gobbi, are currently working to identify the suspects, some of whom have already been named. A 17-page report notes that among them were one man from Turin, one from Milan, and another from Trieste.
One sniper, who fired on civilians from the hills above Sarajevo in 1993, has been identified as the owner of a private clinic specializing in cosmetic surgery.
Bosnian authorities have also joined the investigation. Former Sarajevo mayor Benjamina Karić submitted an official report to Italy.
Separately, the Bosnian capital’s airport recently detained mercenary Dario Ristić, who had fought with the Russian army against Ukraine. He was wanted for war crimes committed on the battlefield in another country.
