People were allegedly shot at in the city of Sarajevo, which was under siege during the Bosnian war.Image: AP
In Austria, the public prosecutor’s office is investigating two suspects who are said to have been involved in so-called “human safaris” during the Bosnian War (1992-1995).
May 20, 2026, 3:20 p.mMay 20, 2026, 3:20 p.m
This was confirmed by the Ministry of Justice in Vienna. Since April 25, 2026, an investigation against “an Austrian citizen and another previously unknown perpetrator” has been pending due to this suspicion. Due to tactical investigation considerations, there is currently no further information, it was said.
During the Bosnian War, wealthy men from Europe are said to have paid thousands of dollars each to shoot civilians from Serbian positions in the then-besieged city of Sarajevo. Stories about alleged shooting tourism have been circulating in Sarajevo for years, but no solid evidence has been published yet.
Allegations in this context are also being investigated in Italy. After a complaint from the writer Ezio Gavazzeni, the Milan public prosecutor’s office began an investigation into unknown perpetrators on suspicion of multiple murders for base motives.
Serbia’s president rejects allegations
At the end of 2025, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic rejected allegations that he was involved in crimes at the time. “I’ve never heard of safaris, I’ve never carried a sniper rifle,” Vucic said at the time in a talk show on the pro-government portal “informer.rs” in response to a question about the allegations made by the Bosnian media and activists. On a video recording, Vucic – at the time a follower of the Serbian nationalist and war criminal Vojislav Seselj – can be briefly seen in a Serbian sniper position above Sarajevo. It is not clear from the images whether he was armed.
More than 10,000 dead in the siege of Sarajevo
More than 10,000 people died in the siege of Sarajevo by Bosnian Serbs, units of the former Yugoslav army and paramilitaries. Many were killed by snipers who shot people indiscriminately from tall buildings or surrounding mountains. (sda/dpa)