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An investigation has been launched in Milan, Italy, into allegations that Italian citizens paid large sums to Bosnian Serb militias to act as “weekend snipers,” targeting civilians during the 1993–1995 Siege of Sarajevo, in which approximately 11,000 people were killed, according to reports on Monday by Il Giorno and La Repubblica.
The individuals reportedly involved are far-right gun enthusiasts who allegedly left Italy to join the siege, paying Serbian forces to shoot civilians “for fun.” Prosecutor Alessandro Gobbis is leading the investigation, which aims to identify those responsible for the killings.
The case, first reported by Il Giornale in July, was opened on charges of voluntary homicide aggravated by cruelty and abject motives. Charges are currently directed at unknown individuals, following a complaint filed by journalist and writer Ezio Gavazzeni, with support from lawyers and former magistrate Guido Salvini.
Testimonies collected across northern Italy suggest the so-called “weekend snipers” gathered in Trieste before being transported to the hills surrounding Sarajevo, where they allegedly fired on civilians after paying Bosnian Serb militias loyal to Radovan Karadzic.
Former Sarajevo mayor Benjamina Karic reportedly submitted a report on these “rich foreigners engaged in inhumane activities” to the Milan Prosecutor’s Office, now included in the case file.
The complaint alleges a “price list” for killings: children reportedly carried a higher price, followed by armed men, women and elderly civilians, who could allegedly be killed at no cost. The 2022 documentary Sarajevo Safari, directed by Miran Zupanic, reportedly features an anonymous witness and is referenced in the complaint.
Sources cited in the complaint mention Americans, Canadians, Russians, and Italians who allegedly paid to participate in wartime violence. Transport infrastructure allegedly included the former Serbian airline Aviogenex, and Jovica Stanisic, convicted of war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, is said to have played a role.
Testimonies from former American firefighter John Jordan, who volunteered in Sarajevo during the siege, are included in the complaint.
Jordan, who previously testified before the International Criminal Court in The Hague during the trial of Bosnian Serb Army commander Ratko Mladic, described encounters with foreign individuals unfamiliar with the city and its terrain, carrying weapons more suited for hunting than urban combat.
Milan authorities are currently reviewing documentation and witness statements, with the Carabinieri ROS special operations unit assisting. The case has drawn renewed attention in Italy, coinciding with exhibitions such as Shooting in Sarajevo at Milan’s Casa della Memoria, commemorating the 30th anniversary of the siege.
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