Italian prosecutors have opened an investigation into allegations that Italian citizens travelled to Bosnia during the 1990s to take part in so-called “sniper safaris”, paying Bosnian Serb forces to fire on civilians in besieged Sarajevo.
The inquiry, led by Milan prosecutor Alessandro Gobbis, follows a legal complaint filed by journalist and novelist Ezio Gavazzeni with lawyers Nicola Brigida and former judge Guido Salvini. The suit accuses unidentified Italians of “murder aggravated by cruelty and despicable motives” during the 1992–95 siege, in which more than 11,000 people were killed.
Gavazzeni told Italian media he had shared evidence with prosecutors, calling the alleged trips “a part of society that hides its truth under the carpet”.
According to the complaint, groups of Italians and other foreign gun enthusiasts gathered in the northern port city of Trieste for weekend trips and were flown by the Yugoslav/Serbian airline Aviogenex to positions overlooking Sarajevo. They allegedly paid Bosnian Serb militias loyal to wartime leader Radovan Karadzic – later convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity – to shoot at civilians.
Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported that participants paid the equivalent of up to €100,000 to join the expeditions. Gavazzeni claims they were provided with a “price list” for targets, with children valued highest, followed by men, women and the elderly.
In a 17-page filing, Gavazzeni includes testimony from former Bosnian military intelligence officer Edin Subasic, who says he informed Italy’s intelligence service, Sismi, in 1994 about Italians travelling from Trieste to take part in shootings. According to Subasic, Sismi later said it had “put a stop” to the trips.
Another witness cited in the suit identified three Italian men under investigation, from Milan, Turin and Trieste. One, reportedly a Milan clinic owner, is alleged to have taken part in shootings in 1993.
Former Sarajevo mayor Benjamina Karic has also supplied documents to Milan prosecutors concerning “wealthy foreigners engaged in inhumane activities”, Italy’s ANSA news agency reported.
Sarajevo residents who lived through the siege said the allegations echoed longstanding rumours.
“It was always especially dangerous on weekends,” said Dzemil Hodzic, founder of the Sniper Alley Photo project, whose brother was killed by a sniper. “There was information circulating about people from outside coming to shoot at us.”
Investigators believe Serbian intelligence services were aware of the trips. Subasic’s testimony suggests the use of the airline indicated the involvement of the Serbian State Security Service, though Serbia has denied any role.
The Bosnian consulate in Milan said it was cooperating fully. “We are eager to uncover the truth of such a cruel affair and settle accounts with the past,” Consul Dag Dumrukcic told La Repubblica.
Foreign participation in the shootings has been documented before. A 2022 documentary by Bosnian director Miran Zupanic, Sarajevo Safari, alleged that wealthy visitors from several countries, including the United States and Russia, had taken part. Among them was Russian nationalist writer Eduard Limonov, filmed in 1992 firing a machine gun toward Sarajevo while accompanied by Karadzic.
In 2007, former U.S. Marine John Jordan testified at the U.N. war crimes tribunal that “tourist shooters” operated in Sarajevo. “It was clearly obvious … they were completely unfamiliar with the ground,” he said.
The Milan investigation aims to identify participants and establish how the trips were organised. Gavazzeni said he hoped the case would end decades of silence.
“People left Trieste for the manhunt and then returned to their lives, respectable in everyone’s eyes,” he said. “It’s the indifference of evil – becoming God and remaining unpunished.”