A close ally of President Donald Trump has announced an investigation into disturbing claims that wealthy foreigners once paid to shoot civilians during the siege of Sarajevo.
The allegations involve so-called “sniper tourists” who allegedly spent up to $90,000 for the chance to kill unsuspecting residents, including children, at the height of the Bosnian War.
The shocking accusations resurfaced after Italian authorities confirmed they were reviewing reports that Bosnian Serb forces hosted grotesque “human safaris” for foreign visitors in the early 1990s.
Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna Responds on X
US Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna issued a strong reaction on X, stating that she has already opened an inquiry.
“Regarding the alleged ‘murder tourism’ discussed below, I have opened an investigation into this matter and am in contact with the Bosnian Consulate as well as the Italian Embassy,” she wrote.
She followed with a sharp condemnation: “Paying money to shoot civilians, and even worse to shoot children, is a level of evil our country cannot and will not tolerate. If there are any Americans who have engaged in this, they deserve to be charged and prosecuted.”
The allegations involve unidentified individuals from Italy, the United States, Russia, and additional countries, who supposedly financed these deadly “games” during the four-year siege of Sarajevo.
Claims Point to Paid “Weekend Sniper” Packages
Between 1992 and 1996, Sarajevo endured relentless shelling and sniper fire that killed more than 10,000 people.
Reports now suggest that some visitors, allegedly tied to far-right gun-enthusiast circles, paid Bosnian Serb soldiers between $92,000 (£70,000) and $116,000 (£88,000) to participate in “weekend sniper” excursions.
According to Italian outlet La Repubblica, participants were positioned on the hills above Sarajevo and had paid to shoot passing civilians "for fun".
Spanish newspaper El Pais reported that the cost increased if the tourists wanted to target children.
Meša Selimović Boulevard, the city’s main artery, became known worldwide as Sniper Alley due to constant gunfire. Residents lived in daily terror, unsure whether stepping outside would be their last act.
Documentary and Legal Complaints Spark Renewed Investigation
The allegations first gained broader attention through the 2022 documentary Sarajevo Safari, directed by Slovenian filmmaker Miran Zupanic. The film collected testimonies painting a chilling picture of outsiders arriving in the besieged city to hunt for sport.
These accounts spurred Milan-based journalist Ezio Gavazzeni to file a formal complaint, supported by former magistrate Guido Salvini and Benjamina Karic, who served as Sarajevo’s mayor from 2021 to 2024. Their complaint triggered the new Italian investigation now underway.
A Bosnian couple reads the newspaper in their bombed-out apartment along Marshal Tito Avenue in Sarajevo, 1992. Credit: David Turnley / Corbis / VCG / Getty Images.
Reports claim the tourists paid fighters in the army of Radovan Karadžić, the former Bosnian Serb leader convicted in 2016 of genocide and crimes against humanity. He is currently serving a 40-year sentence, per the UN's International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals.
Investigators Working to Identify Participants
Gavazzeni told La Repubblica that a previous attempt by Bosnian prosecutors to investigate the supposed sniper tourism was abandoned because the country remained too fractured by war. He said the alleged participants were “wealthy people, with reputations, businessmen, who during the siege of Sarajevo paid to kill unarmed civilians.”
He added: “They left Trieste for a manhunt and then returned to their respectable daily lives.”
Lead prosecutor Alessandro Gobbi reportedly has a list of potential witnesses who may soon be called to testify. Gavazzeni believes as many as 100 individuals may have taken part in the sniper excursions, though he hopes investigators can at least identify several.
The case files reportedly mention a Milan businessman who owns a private cosmetic surgery clinic, along with other citizens from Turin and Trieste.