Italy Launches Probe into Bosnia Sniper Attacks

(MENAFN) Italian authorities have called in one individual for interrogation as part of a probe into allegations that multiple Italian citizens traveled to Bosnia between 1992 and 1995 to participate in Serb sniper operations, targeting civilians for sport, local media outlets disclosed Wednesday.

The criminal inquiry originated from a formal complaint lodged in February 2025 by Italian journalist and author Ezio Gavazzeni, who provided documentation and evidentiary materials connected to the siege.

Milan's Public Prosecutor's Office initiated the investigation last November, zeroing in on individuals dubbed "weekend snipers" who purportedly arrived from Italy and other nations to engage in the wartime assaults.

A news agency reported, citing judicial sources, that an 80-year-old former truck driver living in the northeastern city of Pordenone has been called in for questioning. Prosecutors expect the interrogation to take place on Feb. 9.

Prosecutors allege that between 1992 and 1995, he and other unidentified individuals fired sniper rifles from hills around Sarajevo, killing unarmed civilians including women, children and elderly people as part of a criminal plan.

Italian media outlets have additionally disclosed claims that the accused subsequently bragged about participating in "human hunts" in Sarajevo throughout the blockade.

Sarajevo came under assault on April 6, 1992, enduring a siege that persisted for over three years. Throughout this timeframe, 11,541 civilians perished, among them 1,601 children. The municipality's infrastructure and numerous historical and cultural landmarks sustained extensive destruction.

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