Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna has raised alarm over disturbing allegations emerging from Italy, where prosecutors in Milan have opened an investigation into claims that wealthy foreigners paid to shoot civilians during the Siege of Sarajevo (1992–1995).
Luna said she has initiated efforts for a parallel investigation in the United States, stressing that the gravity of the accusations requires full transparency. She confirmed she is in direct contact with the Bosnia and Herzegovina Consulate and the Italian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
“Paying to shoot civilians — and even worse, children — represents a level of evil that our country cannot and will not tolerate,” Luna stated.
She emphasized that Italian and Bosnian authorities have agreed to share all available information about any American citizens who may have been involved.
“If any Americans participated in these crimes, they deserve to be charged and prosecuted,” she added.
Background of the Investigation
Italian prosecutors are examining evidence that several Italian nationals may have paid members of the Bosnian Serb Army to travel to Sarajevo and fire on civilians as a form of grotesque “war tourism.” According to reporting by The Guardian, the inquiry focuses on individuals who allegedly paid significant sums to be escorted to sniper positions on the hills surrounding the besieged city.
The Siege of Sarajevo, the longest in modern history, left over 10,000 people dead, including many children. Snipers were among the most terrifying and indiscriminate threats, targeting civilians simply attempting to cross streets or access food and water.
Investigators believe that groups of Italians and other foreign nationals — dubbed “sniper tourists” — may have paid forces loyal to Radovan Karadžić, the wartime Bosnian Serb leader convicted in 2016 of genocide and crimes against humanity, to allow them to participate in the killings “for entertainment.”
If confirmed, these revelations would expose one of the most chilling forms of participation in wartime atrocities ever documented.
