An 80-year-old Italian former truck driver is under investigation in Milan on charges of aggravated murder for allegedly participating in the siege of Sarajevo as a 'sniper tourist'. Prosecutors claim he paid Bosnian Serb soldiers for the opportunity to shoot at civilians during the 1992-1996 siege, which left over 10,000 dead.
The suspect, from the Veneto region, is the first to be investigated since the inquiry began in November. Italian media report he allegedly bragged about 'conducting a manhunt'. The case stems from a complaint by writer Ezio Gavazzeni and a report by former Sarajevo mayor Benjamina Karić, following a 2022 documentary.
According to Gavazzeni, groups of westerners would travel from Trieste to Belgrade, then to the hills around Sarajevo, where they paid to shoot at civilians. He described it as 'an indifference towards evil'. The allegations have been denied by Serbian war veterans.
The siege of Sarajevo was the longest in modern history, with snipers targeting people at random, including children. Among the most famous victims were Bosco Brkic and Admira Ismic, killed on a bridge in 1993, their bodies left in no man's land for days.
