“Weekend sniper” in Sarajevo
They pay to shoot civilians and children
November 12, 2025 – 17:47Reading time: 4 minutes
During the siege of Sarajevo, wealthy foreigners were said to have paid large sums of money to act as “weekend snipers” shooting at civilians. The Italian justice system is investigating.
This accusation sounds both unbelievable and shocking: During the Bosnian War, wealthy foreigners were said to have paid special fees to be allowed to shoot civilians in Sarajevo – for fun. Amid the siege of the Bosnian capital between 1992 and 1995, so-called “weekend snipers” from Western European countries, including Italy as well as Germany, supposedly came to “hunt” on the front lines alongside Bosnian Serb soldiers. As has been consistently reported by Italian and international media, the Italian judiciary has initiated an investigation into this matter.
The Milan prosecutor’s office is currently investigating several murder cases with very cruel and heinous motives. Three Italian citizens are the focus of the investigation. They are said to have paid large sums of money to join the Bosnian Serb military during the siege of Sarajevo – not as soldiers, but as amateur snipers.
The defendant is said to have traveled from Milan, Turin and Trieste via Belgrade to Bosnia between 1993 and 1995, supported by part of the Serb army. According to investigators, they were taken by helicopter or vehicle to the hills around Sarajevo – where the city was terrorized by snipers.
The investigation began in the summer of 2025 after journalist Ezio Gavazzeni filed an extensive criminal complaint alongside former judge Guido Salvini and lawyer Nicola Brigida. Gavazzeni has been collecting material for years, including witness statements, documents and information about the logistical processes behind the alleged perpetrators’ journeys. Current reporting is largely based on these findings.
According to Gavazzeni, these cases are not isolated cases. “There are many – not just a few dozen,” the author said. He further stated that “very, very many Italians” were involved, although he did not provide a specific number. “There were Germans, French, British…people from all over the Western countries who paid huge sums of money to go there and shoot civilians.”
The participants allegedly paid an amount equal to the purchase price of a three-bedroom apartment in Milan. Gavazzeni did not provide an exact number. The perpetrators were wealthy businessmen, academics and weapons enthusiasts, now aged between 65 and 80 years. A chilling detail emerging from the current allegations is that the “snipers” may have targeted children in exchange for large sums of money.
