Italy probes 80-year-old over alleged Sarajevo ‘sniper tourism’

Milan prosecutors have placed an elderly Italian man under investigation as part of an investigation into alleged “sniper tourism” in Sarajevo in the 1990s, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday.

The sources said the man, the first individual to be identified in the inquiry that began last year, is an 80-year-old former truck driver who lives near the northern Italian town of Pordenone.

The prosecutors are investigating allegations that foreigners were paid to shoot at civilians during the siege of Sarajevo, Bosnia’s capital, during the war in the former Yugoslav republic three decades ago.

The man, who was not named, faces charges of several counts of premeditated murder, aggravated by base motives, the sources said.

They did not say whether he is suspected of directly carrying out killings or of helping with transport and logistics for clients.

He remains at liberty and has been summoned by prosecutors for questioning on February 9, the sources added.

About 11,000 civilians were killed by shelling and sniper fire from Bosnian Serb army positions on hills around the besieged city during the 1992-95 war that followed Bosnia’s declaration of independence from Yugoslavia.

Milan prosecutors opened their investigation after local journalist and novelist Ezio Gavazzeni filed a legal complaint over allegations that Italians and other foreigners had paid members of Bosnian Serb forces to let them take part in shooting excursions, which some referred to as “sniper tourism”.

Gavazzeni said he was inspired to look into the allegations after watching the 2022 documentary “Sarajevo Safari” by Slovenian director Miran Zupanic.

Gavazzeni said wealthy foreigners paid large sums of money to take part. He said the Italians used to meet in the city of Trieste before travelling to Belgrade, where Bosnian Serb soldiers escorted them to hills overlooking Sarajevo.

The launch of the Italian investigation in November 2025 raised survivors’ hopes that those responsible would be brought to justice.