WARNING DISTRESSING CONTENT: The unnamed wealthy Westerners are currently being investigated after it was alleged they paid Serbian militia groups so they could target Muslim Bosnians at the height of the war
Investigations are underway over claims of “human safari” hunting during the Bosnian war(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
A man accused of working as a human safari hunter reportedly told his wife that he would spend his weekends “killing Muslims” during the Bosnian War. He also allegedly suffered nightmares about the people he had killed.
Courts in Milan are investigating claims that two wealthy Westerners paid Serbian militia groups so they could shoot ethnic Bosniaks in Sarajevo. Police have now claimed they have found “significant” evidence that one indulged in so-called “weekend sniper” trips.
Prosecutors added an aristocrat from Italy is now being investigated after being connected to the ‘sniper’ claims. However, it is not confirmed whether this is the same person who reportedly confessed, and all suspects involved deny the charges.
The search was ordered after testimony from his former wife, who claimed he was tormented by nightmares, according to the Daily Mail. When asked why, she explained he had said he had killed people in Bosnia at the height of the war.
She reportedly told investigators: “He told me that he used to depart from Milan by plane and that there were some people with him who spent the weekend… being snipers and shooting Muslims.”
As part of their investigation, a search of the man’s home found evidence of a photo of the 65-year-old suspect, who is currently living in the city of Alessandria. The suspect is alleged to be holding technical equipment, as well as a silencer.
The Bosnian War was one of the bloodiest parts of the break-up of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. The capital city, Sarajevo, was under siege for two years, and saw the deaths of 11,500 people − mostly Muslim Bosniaks.
Investigations began last year after claims were made in 2022 that suggested Western tourists were paying to shoot at innocent victims. This included snipers from Russia and the US, as well as Brits and Germans.
According to former Bosnian intelligence officer Nedzad Ugljen, tourists would pay as much as £35,000 at the time to allegedly shoot at adults. Children, however, were believed to have a higher price, with some reportedly paying as much as £45,000.
However, this is not the first time that allegations of trophy hunting in Sarajevo have been made. In 2007, former US Marine John Jordan made similar claims while testifying at the Hague at a criminal tribunal looking into the atrocities of the war.
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