An investigation into 'human safaris' where people are alleged to have spent as much as £70,000 to become 'sniper tourists' and shoot civilians in Bosnia has summoned an 80-year-old man for questioning, and he could be charged with murder.
Italian prosecutors are looking into alleged cases of wealthy tourists of various nationalities going to Bosnia during the siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian War in the 90s.
Journalist and novelist Ezio Gavazzeni filed a complaint in Milan last year where he described 'very wealthy people' going on a 'manhunt', with claims that these 'sniper tourists' were charged different rates to kill men, women and children.
Gavazzeni alleged that 'at least a hundred' people participated, and Milan's prosecutor's office opened an investigation into his claims.
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However, the allegations are disputed as some members of British forces who served during the siege of Sarajevo said they'd never heard of 'sniper tourism' or described the allegations as an 'urban myth'.
Reuters reports that prosecutors in Italy have summoned an 80-year-old Italian man for questioning, with him required to appear and speak to them on 9 February.
They report that the man is a former truck driver living near the northern Italian town of Pordenone, and that he could face several charges of premeditated murder.
It is not known whether he is suspected of directly killing people, or of participating in the transport and logistics of the alleged activity.
According to Reuters, the man has not been arrested and 'remains at liberty', but he will have to speak to prosecutors looking into the allegations of 'sniper tourism' and the claims people paid to go on 'human safaris'.
Gavazzeni's allegations claim that wealthy individuals paid lots of money to do this and that Italians who participated met in the city of Trieste before going to Belgrade, where they were escorted by Serbian soldiers to hills around Sarajevo.
Over 11,000 civilians died during the siege of Sarajevo between 1992 and 1995, and there have been several allegations of 'sniper tourism' made in the years since.
During the siege, the main boulevard of Sarajevo was nicknamed 'Sniper Alley' as Serbian snipers would fire on the street from their positions.
The Italian investigation into the allegations is not the only one which has been opened, though the unnamed 80-year-old man is the first person to be identified as part of efforts to determine the truth.
Over in the US, congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna said recently she had opened an investigation of her own, saying if any US citizens had participated then they ought to be 'charged and prosecuted'.
She said: "Paying money to shoot civilians - and even worse to shoot children - is a level of evil our country cannot and will not tolerate. Both the Italian and Bosnian governments will be sharing any and all information regarding any AMERICANS that may be implicated."
Topics: World News, History, Crime
Joe Harker