Italian prosecutors are now investigating one of the most disturbing allegations to emerge from the Bosnian War – claims that wealthy foreign “tourists” paid tens of thousands of pounds to shoot civilians in besieged Sarajevo for sport.
Patrick Harrington of The Sun reports that these so-called “human safaris” allegedly allowed rich visitors to take up positions in the hills above the city and pick off ordinary people in the streets below, with higher prices reportedly charged if the targets were children.
A New York Post video explainer says Milan prosecutors have opened a probe based on evidence gathered by Italian writer Ezio Gavazzeni, who claims some of these “sniper tourists” have already been identified and could soon face questioning.
If even part of this is proven true, it’s not just a war crime story.
It’s a story about humans choosing to treat other humans as game animals.
Allegations Of A Paid “Human Safari”
According to Patrick Harrington’s reporting in The Sun, the core allegation is simple and horrifying.
During the four-year siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s, Bosnian Serb forces are accused of hosting weekend “sniper” trips for rich foreign visitors.
Harrington writes that these visitors were allegedly “moneyed sickos” from far-right circles who paid between £70,000 and £88,000 for the chance to shoot at civilians.
The New York Post video, summarizing reporting originally highlighted by The Guardian, says those trips reportedly cost up to about $90,000, with an extra fee if the customer wanted to shoot a child.
Both outlets stress that these remain allegations.
But the details are specific enough that Italian prosecutors have decided they can’t be ignored.
From Trieste To The Killing Hills Above Sarajevo
Harrington reports that, according to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, the alleged “sniper tourists” came from Italy, the United States, Russia and other countries.
They would reportedly fly from Trieste to Belgrade on the Serbian airline Aviogenex, then be transported on to positions in the hills around Sarajevo that were controlled by Bosnian Serb forces.
From those hillside positions, they could see key roads and neighborhoods in the city below.
The New York Post video notes that more than 10,000 people were killed in Sarajevo between 1992 and 1996 by shelling and sniper fire, in what historians recognize as the longest modern siege of a capital city.
Harrington points out that Meša Selimović Boulevard – the city’s main thoroughfare – became infamous as “Sniper Alley,” where simply crossing the street could get you killed.
Most of that killing has always been attributed to Bosnian Serb soldiers.
What’s new here is the claim that some of those rifles were, at least at times, in the hands of visiting foreigners who had paid to be there.
A Documentary Rekindles An Old Rumor
Harrington explains that hints of “sniper tourism” first appeared in scattered media reports in the 1990s.
But nothing concrete came of them, and the idea almost faded into urban-legend territory.
That changed in 2022, when Slovenian filmmaker Miran Zupanič released a documentary titled Sarajevo Safari.
According to Harrington, Zupanič gathered testimonies that together painted a picture of wealthy outsiders being escorted to the front lines and allowed to shoot at residents in the city.
The New York Post video says that one of Gavazzeni’s key sources was a former Bosnian intelligence officer who confirmed that foreign civilians had been present in sniper positions.
After seeing the documentary and revisiting those old Italian press clippings, Gavazzeni decided to dig deeper.
Harrington reports that he teamed up with former Italian magistrate Guido Salvini and Sarajevo’s then-mayor Benjamina Karić to file a formal legal complaint in Italy.
That complaint triggered the criminal investigation now underway in Milan.
“Rich People Who Went There For Fun”
Both The Sun and the New York Post video focus heavily on what Gavazzeni says he has uncovered.
Harrington quotes him describing the alleged shooters as wealthy businessmen and gun enthusiasts from Western countries – people who might go on regular hunting safaris or spend their free time at shooting ranges.
In the New York Post video, Gavazzeni (referred to in that report with a slightly garbled spelling) is quoted as saying:
“There were Germans, French, English, people from all Western countries who paid large sums of money to be taken there to shoot civilians.”
He stresses that, in his view, there was no political or religious motive – just “fun” and “personal satisfaction” for people who loved guns and wanted to experience killing humans.
Harrington reports that Italian authorities believe up to 100 “tourists” may have taken part in these trips.
Lead prosecutor Alessandro Gobbi reportedly now has a list of several people who could provide testimony and may be called to give evidence as the case moves forward.
From a moral standpoint, that description is chilling.
This isn’t even the cold logic of war; it’s entertainment built on someone else’s terror.
Why Bosnia Didn’t Finish The Job First
Harrington notes that Bosnia’s own Attorney General’s Office previously opened an investigation into the “sniper tourism” claims.
According to his reporting, that probe was eventually shelved because the country was still deeply scarred by the war and the case was seen as too difficult to pursue.
The New York Post video says the Bosnian consulate in Milan has now pledged “total collaboration” with Italian authorities.
A consular spokesperson quoted in that report says Sarajevo is “impatient to discover the truth about such a cruel matter” and wants to close this chapter of history.
That reaction is telling.
For Bosnia, this isn’t just about a handful of alleged foreign thrill-killers.
It’s about naming every layer of responsibility for what happened to Sarajevo.
Residents already know about Karadžić, Mladić, and the political and military leaders who planned and executed the siege.
What they may not have expected is that some of their torment might have been outsourced — sold as a weekend experience to bored millionaires.
Karadžić’s Army And The Price Of Blood
Harrington reports that the tourists are alleged to have paid money directly to troops from the army of Radovan Karadžić, the Bosnian Serb leader later convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity and sentenced to 40 years in prison.
If that’s accurate, the arrangement would look less like rogue soldiers and more like an informal revenue stream attached to an already brutal campaign.
Harrington quotes Gavazzeni describing the men involved as “wealthy people, with reputations – businessmen – who during the siege of Sarajevo paid to kill unarmed civilians.”
The idea is almost surreal: people leaving their comfortable lives in Milan or Turin, flying out for a “manhunt,” then returning to their clinics, offices, or boardrooms.
According to The Sun, one Milanese businessman who owns a private cosmetic surgery clinic is mentioned in the case file, along with individuals from Turin and Trieste.
The New York Post video adds that some Italians believed to be involved have already been identified and are expected to be questioned by Milanese prosecutors.
At this stage, none of those names have been publicly confirmed in these reports, and everyone mentioned is still legally a suspect, not a convicted criminal.
But the fact that specific professions and cities are now being tied to the story shows how concrete the investigation has become.
War Crimes, Tourism And The Human Line
Both Patrick Harrington’s reporting in The Sun and the New York Post explainer treat these allegations as serious but still unproven, emphasizing that Italian prosecutors are at the investigative stage.
That caution matters.
Extraordinary claims demand very strong evidence, especially when they involve events three decades in the past and potential defendants who may now be elderly, powerful, or both.
At the same time, dismissing these stories out of hand would be a mistake.
Sarajevo’s siege has already produced enough documented atrocities to prove how far human beings can go when hatred, impunity and boredom mix.
If anything, the “sniper tourist” allegations force us to confront one more ugly possibility: that for some people, war isn’t just politics by other means – it’s entertainment.
There’s a line every healthy society insists on, even in wartime.
The picture painted by Harrington, Gavazzeni and the New York Post’s report is of men who stepped over that line, then paid handsomely to do it again.
Whether Italian prosecutors can turn that picture into courtroom-ready evidence remains to be seen.
But for survivors in Sarajevo, and for the families of the more than 10,000 people killed there, this investigation at least signals one thing.
The world hasn’t stopped asking who pulled the trigger – or why.
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The article “Sniper tourists”: Rich foreigners allegedly paid to hunt civilians In human safari trips first appeared on Survival World.
Gary’s love for adventure and preparedness stems from his background as a former Army medic. Having served in remote locations around the world, he knows the importance of being ready for any situation, whether in the wilderness or urban environments. Gary’s practical medical expertise blends with his passion for outdoor survival, making him an expert in both emergency medical care and rugged, off-the-grid living. He writes to equip readers with the skills needed to stay safe and resilient in any scenario.
