Austrian Justice Department is Investigating “Sniper Tours” in Sarajevo
More than three decades after the end of the brutal Bosnian War (1992–1995), the ghosts of the past are now catching up with Austria as well. As the Ministry of Justice in Vienna announced in response to a parliamentary inquiry, a local prosecutor’s office has been conducting an official investigation since April into an Austrian citizen and another, as yet unidentified accomplice. The egregious suspicion: participation in so-called “sniper tours” during the years-long siege of the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo.
The infamous Sniper Alley in wartorn Sarajevo. / Picture: © Wikipedia / Ludovic Hirlimann (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/fr/deed.en)
The allegations are serious and paint a deeply disturbing picture of so-called war tourism. During the siege of Sarajevo, in which more than 10,000 people lost their lives to shelling and snipers, wealthy foreigners from Western countries are said to have paid large sums of money to hunt defenseless civilians from the surrounding hills, as if on a safari.
According to information available from a parliamentary inquiry by former Justice Minister and current Green Party justice spokesperson Alma Zadić, the paying “sniper tourists” often traveled directly from Trieste via Belgrade to the war zones, often in organized groups. Sums of up to 100,000 euros are said to have been paid for weekend trips to shoot at people—with targeted shooting at children reportedly even “costing extra,” according to eyewitness accounts.
International wave of investigations rolls in
The fact that Austrian authorities have now launched an official investigation indicates that there is now valid grounds for suspicion against the Austrian in question. The Ministry of Justice emphasizes, however, that these steps are not primarily based on the recent research by Italian author and investigative journalist Ezio Gavazzeni. Through his publications and his support for the documentary film “Sarajevo Safari” (2022), Gavazzeni had brought the issue into the spotlight across Europe and demanded that every country “do its homework.” The author expressed his delight at the initiative from Vienna, as reported by ORF.
Austria is not alone in conducting these investigations. As early as November 2025, the Milan Public Prosecutor’s Office launched proceedings against suspected Italian “sniper tourists.” In early 2026, the first summonses were issued there to an 80-year-old suspect who is said to have once publicly boasted about his “manhunt.” In other countries as well, such as the U.S., Germany, and France, there are now efforts to investigate the involvement of their own citizens in these cruel crimes.
Zadić Calls for a Thorough Investigation
Green Party Representative Alma Zadić, who submitted the inquiry to the Ministry of Justice, reacted decisively to the confirmation of the investigation. These are “the most serious war crimes,” she said, which do not become statute-barred even after decades and must be prosecuted with the full force of the law. Zadić is calling on the authorities to conduct a thorough and uncompromising investigation into the allegations in order to bring belated justice to the victims of the siege.
Although gathering evidence more than 30 years after the crimes were committed poses an enormous legal challenge, the investigations in Vienna and Milan send a clear message: the organized killing for pleasure in the shadow of the Bosnian War will not be forgotten.