Italy Launches "War Tour" Investigation In Bosnia, Pays IDR 1.9 Billion To Shoot Civilians

JAKARTA - Italian authorities launched an investigation into a "warturist" that paid up to 100,000 euros in crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s.

Italian prosecutors opened an investigation into claims some Italian nationals went to Bosnia during the 1992-1995 war to join Serbian sniper units and opened fire on civilians as "comfort," local media reported.

The investigation launched by the Milan General Prosecutor's Office focused on individuals described in Italian media as "weekend snipers" - right-wing extremists - who allegedly paid the equivalent of 80,000 euros (IDR 1,553,528,000) to 100,000 euros (IDR 1,941,910,000) to participate in a shooting journey during Sarajevo's Suspension, Anadolu reported November 14.

According to a report in La Repubblica, the men were not soldiers but "radical right-wing war terrorists."

They reportedly departed from the city of Trieste in northeastern Italy on Friday night, spending the weekend in Sarajevo with Serbian troops before returning to Italy shortly thereafter.

Prosecutor Alessandro Gobbis has opened the case on charges of exacerbated premeditated murder, which was carried out with atrocities and malicious intent.

Investigations are currently targeting suspects who have not been identified.

Meanwhile, Italian news agency ANSA reported complaints sparked an investigation filed by journalist and author Ezio Gavazzeni.

He cited information from an email exchange in November 2024 with an official from the Bosnian Military Security Service, who had interrogated a Serbian volunteer who was arrested.

Gavazzeni said at least five Italians from Milan, Turin and Trieste were suspected of being involved, one of whom was reported as the owner of a cosmetic clinic.

The claim centers on events during the 3.5-year Suspension of Sarajevo, where Serbian troops surrounded and bombarded the Bosnian capital since April 1992.

More than 11,500 civilians were killed, including 1,601 children, and the city's cultural heritage and infrastructure were badly damaged.

In 2021, newly emerging images show Serbian snipers targeting civilians in Sarajevo during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, raising painful memories of the past for Bosnians.