Elderly Italian Man Detained in Connection with Sarajevo 'Human Safari' Allegations
An 80-year-old Italian man has been taken into custody on suspicion of participating in so-called 'human safari' hunting trips during the Siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s. Prosecutors in Milan allege that the retired truck driver, who resides near Italy's border with Slovenia, paid substantial sums to shoot fleeing residents of the Bosnian capital.
Investigation Uncovers Disturbing Details of 'Murder Tourism'
In November, Italian authorities launched a formal investigation into reports that wealthy tourists paid approximately £70,000 to join organised shooting excursions targeting innocent Bosnians. According to court documents, these individuals, many with alleged far-right connections, reportedly paid the Bosnian Serb army for weekend trips to Sarajevo where they fired upon civilians from rooftop positions.
The elderly suspect was apprehended after reportedly boasting about 'hunting men' in the Balkan city. During a search of his property, police discovered several legally owned firearms including handguns, a rifle, and multiple shotguns. Prosecutors have formally accused him of causing the deaths of defenceless civilians, with specific mention of women, elderly individuals, and children through sniper fire from hills surrounding Sarajevo.
Scale of the Alleged Atrocities and Historical Context
Investigators believe there could be more than 100 'tourists' who travelled to the warzone, with many potentially being called to give evidence as the prosecution continues gathering material. The shooting became so prevalent during the siege that two major thoroughfares - Ulica Zmaja od Bosne and Meša Selimović Boulevard - earned the grim nickname 'sniper alley'.
The 1992-1995 siege represented one of the most devastating chapters in modern European history, during which Sarajevo's essential infrastructure including electricity, gas, and water supplies were deliberately cut off. The conflict ultimately claimed 13,952 lives, with 5,434 of these being civilian casualties.
International Dimension and Previous Convictions
Journalist Ezio Gavazzeni, who has collected witness statements on the matter, revealed that participants in these alleged 'murder tourism' activities travelled from multiple Western nations including:
- The United Kingdom
- Italy
- Germany
- France
- Spain
- The United States
- Canada
Gavazzeni expressed surprise that these activities occurred without proper investigation for so many years, suggesting that the perpetrators' wealth and social influence may have contributed to the delayed scrutiny. He hopes his reporting will trigger a 'domino effect' of further investigations across Western nations.
Previous legal proceedings related to the siege have seen significant convictions. Former Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadžić and military commander Stanislav Galić were both found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity at The Hague, receiving life imprisonment sentences. Karadžić currently serves his sentence in the UK, while Galić was transferred to Germany.
The ongoing investigation represents one of the first criminal proceedings initiated in a Western country concerning these specific allegations, raising questions about why similar actions weren't taken sooner by other nations whose citizens may have been involved.
