Italian prosecutors are now digging into one of the most disturbing allegations to resurface from the Bosnian War. Claims have emerged that wealthy Westerners paid to shoot civilians, including children, for sport. It is the kind of accusation that forces society to confront what human beings are capable of when conscience dies, morality collapses and thrill replaces humanity.
The investigation, as reported by The Gateway Pundit, centers on what journalist Ezio Gavazzeni calls “sniper safaris,” a grotesque form of murder tourism allegedly carried out during the 1992 to 1995 siege of Sarajevo. Prosecutors in Milan have launched a formal probe after Gavazzeni filed a complaint detailing accusations that “wealthy individuals from Western countries, including Italy, paid substantial fees” to join Bosnian Serb forces and open fire on civilians.
NEW: Italian prosecutors have launched an investigation into allegations that wealthy people from Western countries paid upward of $90,000 for "sniper safaris" where they would shoot civilians.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 13, 2025
The complaint was filed by journalist Ezio Gavazzeni.
Gavazzeni claims the "sniper… pic.twitter.com/G0f6YEwSt7
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According to the reporting, participants allegedly paid up to €80,000, roughly $90,000, for the “opportunity to fire at unarmed residents risking their lives in the besieged city.” The claims state that these so-called tourists paid extra to shoot children, a detail so dark and depraved it defies comprehension.
The allegations focus on the infamous Sniper Alley, a main Sarajevo boulevard that became one of the most dangerous places on earth during the siege. More than 11,000 people were killed in Sarajevo, including over 1,500 children. Gavazzeni makes it clear these acts were not tied to ideology or tribal hatred but to a hunger for blood. “We are talking about people who love guns who perhaps go to shooting ranges or on safaris in Africa,” he wrote, describing the mindset behind the killers.
The journalist says these murder tourists came from multiple countries, including the United States. BBC reporting notes that similar allegations surfaced before, but the evidence Gavazzeni offers, including testimony from a Bosnian military intelligence officer, is now strong enough that Italian counterterrorism prosecutor Alessandro Gobbis is personally examining it. The Bosnian officer allegedly told investigators that his unit learned of the safaris in late 1993 and passed the information to Italy’s Sismi military intelligence in early 1994. He says Sismi later responded with a chilling update: “We’ve put a stop to it and there won’t be any more safaris.” Within three months, the trips had reportedly ended.
Gavazzeni first encountered these claims through Italian media in the 1990s but revisited them after watching a 2022 documentary on the Bosnian War. His complaint is now backed by two international law specialists. The Bosnian Consulate in Milan has pledged to help uncover the truth, stating it is “impatient to discover the truth about such a cruel matter.”
These allegations are not merely disturbing. They are a stark reminder of the kind of evil that emerges when humanity strips itself of all restraint. This is what happens when the conscience becomes a wasteland. This is what it looks like when sin is not just present but celebrated.
Christians often acknowledge that we live in a sin-cursed world. Not every wicked act is the direct prompting of Satan. Human flesh alone is capable of brutal, selfish destruction. But some acts reveal something deeper, something that perfectly mirrors the enemy who comes “to steal, kill and destroy.”
What is being alleged in these sniper safaris is not ordinary wickedness. It is evil refined. It is moral rot distilled into pure brutality. The deliberate targeting of children for entertainment is not simply sin. It echoes the very character of the one Scripture describes as a murderer from the beginning.
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If these accusations prove true, they stand as a chilling testimony of how far humanity can fall when disconnected from any sense of accountability to God or man. And they serve as a warning about what happens when sin is unchecked, unrestrained, and unrepentant, a descent into darkness that leaves a stain on history and on the human soul itself.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a background in journalism from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine.
