The Milan Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation into an elderly Italian citizen in connection with suspicions of so-called “sniper tourism” in Sarajevo during the 1990s. The information was confirmed on Wednesday by two sources familiar with the investigation.
According to the sources, the suspect is a former truck driver, around 80 years old, who lives near the northern Italian city of Pordenone. He is the first individual to be officially identified in an investigation opened last year, Reuters reported.
The investigation focuses on allegations that several foreign nationals were paid to fire weapons at civilians during the siege of Sarajevo in the Bosnian war. The Italian man, whose name has not been disclosed, is facing multiple charges of premeditated murder, aggravated by base motives, the sources said.
It remains unclear whether he is suspected of directly taking part in the killings or of assisting with transportation and logistical support for others involved. He is currently at liberty and has been summoned by prosecutors for questioning on February 9.
During the siege of Sarajevo, from 1992 to 1995, around 11,000 civilians were killed as a result of shelling and sniper fire from positions held by the Bosnian Serb army in the hills surrounding the city.
The Italian investigation was opened following a complaint filed by Italian journalist Ezio Gavazzeni, who raised suspicions that some Italians and other foreign nationals had paid members of the Bosnian Serb forces to allow them to shoot at civilians, in what has been described as “sniper tourism.”
Gavazzeni stated that he was prompted to investigate these claims after watching the documentary “Sarajevo Safari”, directed by Slovenian filmmaker Miran Zupanic. According to him, wealthy individuals from abroad paid large sums of money to take part in this activity. He added that those involved initially gathered in the Italian city of Trieste before traveling to Belgrade and then being escorted by Bosnian Serb soldiers to hillside areas near Sarajevo.
