Italian aristocrat under investigation for alleged 'Human Safari' killings during Bosnian War

Jun 17, 2026

An Italian aristocrat is among four people under investigation by Milan prosecutors for allegedly participating in "human safari" killings during the 1990s Bosnian War. The suspects are accused of paying Serbian militia large sums to shoot civilians during the Siege of Sarajevo. The cold case gained new life from a 2022 documentary and testimony from witnesses, including an ex-partner of one suspect.

Italian aristocrat murder investigation

▪The other suspects include an 80-year-old former lorry driver from Pordenone, a 64-year-old businessman, and a person from Tuscany.
▪An Italian aristocrat is one of four people under investigation by Milan prosecutors for murder over alleged "human safari" trips during the Bosnian War.
▪The suspects could face charges of voluntary murder aggravated by cruelty and abject motives.
▪Italian police seized evidence, including a photo of a suspect with a silencer, during a search of a 65-year-old man's home in Alessandria.
▪The investigation was prompted by a complaint from writer Ezio Gavazzeni and a report from Sarajevo's former mayor, Benjamina Karić.

Foreign tourist sniper allegations

▪According to the book "Pay and Shoot," tourists paid 80,000 German marks to shoot middle-aged men and women.
▪The alleged tourists included Italians, Germans, Spaniards, Brits, as well as snipers from Russia, the US, and Canada.
▪The book also claimed the foreigners competed to see who could kill the most beautiful women.
▪Wealthy Western tourists allegedly paid Serbian militia large sums to shoot Bosnian citizens during the Siege of Sarajevo from 1993 to 1995.
▪The book "Pay and Shoot" alleges higher prices were charged to shoot young women (95,000 marks) and pregnant women (110,000 marks).

Siege of Sarajevo atrocities

▪During the siege, Bosnian-Serb forces cut off food and electricity to Sarajevo.
▪The alleged shootings took place during the Siege of Sarajevo, which lasted 44 months and resulted in 11,500 deaths.

Witness testimony from survivors

▪The ex-partner of one suspect testified that he told her he suffered nightmares from murdering people in Bosnia in the 1990s.
▪Former US Marine John Jordan testified that Serb shooters seemed to deliberately target the youngest in a family or the most attractive girl in a crowd.
▪The suspect allegedly told his ex-partner he would fly from Milan with others to spend weekends as snipers shooting Muslims.

Documentary evidence from intelligence

▪The book "Pay and Shoot" by Domagoj Margetic published documents from a Bosnian intelligence officer, Nedzad Ugljen, who was killed in 1996.
▪The investigation gained renewed attention after the 2022 documentary "Sarajevo Safari" by Slovenian director Miran Zupanič.
▪The documentary features an anonymous Slovenian intelligence officer who claimed to have witnessed the "safaris" and described participants as wealthy Westerners.

War crimes tribunal proceedings

▪Jordan's testimony was part of the trial that led to the sentencing of Bosnian-Serb general Dragomir Milosevic to 33 years in jail.
▪Former US Marine John Jordan testified in 2007 before the UN's international criminal tribunal for the former Yugoslavia at The Hague.