![‘Watch out! Sniper!’ [File: Danilo Krstanovic] Italian man suspected of sniper tourism being investigated](https://italynews.online/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/sniper-sarajevo.jpg)
Italian prosecutors have formally registered their first suspect in an investigation into alleged “sniper tourism” during the Siege of Sarajevo, a case examining claims that foreign civilians paid to shoot residents of the besieged city for entertainment in the early 1990s.
The Milan public prosecutor’s office has summoned an 80-year-old former truck driver from Pordenone, in Italy’s north-east, for questioning on 9 February. The man, who has not been named, is under investigation for multiple counts of premeditated murder, aggravated by base motives, according to judicial sources cited by Reuters.
During a search of his home, Carabinieri officers reportedly seized seven legally owned firearms, including two handguns and four shotguns. Investigators said witnesses had previously heard the man boast about taking part in so-called “human safaris” during the Bosnian war, claims first reported by Italian daily Il Fatto Quotidiano.
The “sniper tourism” investigation was opened last November by Milan prosecutor Alessandro Gobbis and focuses on allegations that groups of Westerners travelled to Sarajevo during the city’s siege between 1992 and 1996. More than 11,000 people were killed during the conflict, many of them civilians targeted by shelling and sniper fire.
According to the prosecution’s reconstruction, Italian nationals suspected of involvement allegedly gathered in the north-eastern port city of Trieste before being taken to the hills overlooking Sarajevo. There, they were reportedly allowed to fire on the civilian population after paying Bosnian Serb militias sums ranging from €80,000 to €100,000.
“Weekend snipers”
The case stems from a complaint filed by journalist and writer Ezio Gavazzeni, who compiled testimonies and accounts from Bosnian sources describing the presence of Italian civilians among armed groups positioned above the city. Prosecutors are attempting to identify individuals described in the accounts as “weekend snipers”.
The investigation gained renewed momentum following the release of the 2022 documentary Sarajevo Safari by Slovenian director Miran Zupanič. The film includes anonymous testimony from a former Serbian soldier and a contractor who claimed foreign civilians paid to shoot at Sarajevans during the siege.
Italian authorities stress that the inquiry is at an early stage and that the suspect is presumed innocent. If confirmed, however, the allegations would represent one of the most disturbing chapters to emerge decades after the Balkan wars.
