A US congresswoman said she is working with Italian and Bosnian officials to see if any Americans took part in the alleged “sniper tourist” killings that saw wealthy Westerns pay to shoot humans in Sarajevo during the Balkan Wars of the 1990s.
Following news that Italian prosecutors are investigating alleged “human safari” trips, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) said Thursday that she has opened an investigation into the matter and is in contact with the Bosnian Consulate and Italian Embassy.
Sarajevo residents run through an intersection known for sniper activity on June 20, 1992. AFP via Getty Images“Paying money to shoot civilians — and even worse to shoot children — is a level of evil our country cannot and will not tolerate,” Luna wrote on X.
“Both the Italian and Bosnian governments will be sharing any and all information regarding any AMERICANS that may be implicated,” she added. “If there are any Americans who have engaged in this, they deserve to be charged and prosecuted.”
It’s unclear if any Americans took part in the alleged killings, which were supposedly carried out by wealthy gun enthusiasts who would pay Bosnian Serb forces as much as $90,000 to shoot people in Sarajevo. According to the report, there was an extra fee to kill children.
Ezio Gavazzeni, an investigative writer, claimed he uncovered the gruesome history and provided his evidence to Italian prosecutors, the Guardian reported.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna has launched a probe into the wild claims rich people paid to shoot civilians in Sarajevo. AFP via Getty Images“There were Germans, French, English … people from all Western countries who paid large sums of money to be taken there to shoot civilians,” Gavazzeni alleged.
“There were no political or religious motivations. They were rich people who went there for fun and personal satisfaction. We are talking about people who love guns who perhaps go to shooting ranges or on safari in Africa,” he added.
The “human safari” was allegedly maintained by Radovan Karadžić, the former Bosnian Serb leader who was found guilty of genocide and other crimes against humanity in 2016.
More than 10,000 people were killed during the four-year siege in Sarajevo, which was constantly under shelling and sniper fire following Bosnia and Herzegovina’s declaration of independence from Yugoslavia.
A Bosnian fighter shoots out of a window of a Sarajevo building. AFP via Getty ImagesFear ruled over Sarajevo during the four years as sniper fire often struck civilians walking in the streets, including children, at random.
The city’s main street, Meša Selimović Boulevard, was notoriously nicknamed “Sniper Alley” because of the frequent murders on the only road leading to the airport.
Gavazzeni said his research led him to name several Italian nationals who allegedly took part in the killings, with prosecutors in Milan probing the case.
