Post by @Basil_TGMD
80% credible (83% factual, 73% presentation). The core allegations of 'sniper safaris' during the Siege of Sarajevo are supported by ongoing investigations by Milan prosecutors, as reported by credible sources like BBC and The Guardian. However, the presentation sensationalizes details such as exact payment amounts and child targeting, which, while supported by journalism, contributes to a biased framing of the issue.
Analysis Summary
Recent investigations reveal that wealthy tourists, including Italians, allegedly paid up to £88,000 to participate in 'sniper safaris' targeting civilians during the 1992-1996 Siege of Sarajevo, with higher fees for children. This claim is corroborated by Milan prosecutors' ongoing probe into around 100 participants. The story highlights the horrors of war tourism enabled by Bosnian Serb forces.
Original Content
The Facts
The core allegations align with recent news reports from credible sources like BBC, The Guardian, and EL PAÍS, detailing Milan prosecutors' investigation into 'sniper tourism' during the Bosnian War. While the post sensationalizes details like exact payment amounts and child targeting, these are supported by investigative journalism. Verdict: Largely True
Benefit of the Doubt
The author advances a sensational narrative to evoke outrage over historical war atrocities, framing wealthy Westerners as complicit in genocide-like acts to underscore moral depravity in conflict zones. Key omissions include the lack of named sources beyond vague 'reports' and the full context of the documentary 'Sarajevo Safari' that sparked the probe, potentially exaggerating unproven elements like child-specific pricing to heighten emotional impact. This selective emphasis shapes perception as pure horror without exploring broader war crimes accountability or Serb nationalist enablers.
Visual Content Analysis
Images included in the original content
VISUAL DESCRIPTION
The image depicts a chaotic scene outside a white van with a red stripe parked on a paved road near trees, showing a group of men in civilian and military clothing, some armed with rifles, crowding around and inside the vehicle; several individuals appear distressed or captured, kneeling on the ground with hands behind heads, while others in camouflage and berets hold weapons, suggesting a wartime arrest or confrontation.
TEXT IN IMAGE
AFP/Getty Images
MANIPULATION
No visible signs of editing, inconsistencies, or artifacts; appears to be an authentic press photograph with standard news agency watermark.
TEMPORAL ACCURACY
Clothing styles, vehicle design, and military uniforms match 1990s Balkan conflict era; credited to AFP/Getty, a agency known for war coverage from that period.
LOCATION ACCURACY
Scene aligns with Bosnian War settings near Sarajevo, featuring urban-rural edge with trees and a van typical of siege-era imagery in the region.
FACT-CHECK
The image is a genuine AFP/Getty photo from the Bosnian War, likely depicting Serb forces detaining civilians or prisoners during the Sarajevo siege, supporting the post's theme of wartime violence but not directly illustrating 'tourist snipers'.
How Is This Framed?
Biases, omissions, and misleading presentation techniques detected
Fails to provide full context from the 'Sarajevo Safari' documentary and broader investigative reports, presenting the story in isolation to maximize shock value
Problematic phrases:
"It has been revealed""reports simply say 'children cost more'"What's actually there:
Details corroborated by BBC and Guardian but child pricing is unverified sensationalism from secondary reports
What's implied:
Direct, proven pricing structure including premiums for children
Impact: Leads readers to perceive the events as straightforwardly barbaric without nuance on evidentiary gaps or war context, heightening outrage over balanced understanding
Selects inflammatory details like exact payment amounts and child targeting while omitting counter-evidence such as the lack of prior prosecutions or the role of Serb forces in enabling the tourism
Problematic phrases:
"paying between £70,000 and £88,000""children cost more"What's actually there:
Payments estimated but not precisely documented; child targeting mentioned in reports but not confirmed as standard pricing
What's implied:
Systematic, high-cost menu for targeting specific victims
Impact: Exaggerates the organized, commercial nature of the atrocities, making readers view participants as more culpable and depraved than evidence fully supports
Presents ongoing but long-term investigations as immediate breaking developments to create a sense of current crisis
Problematic phrases:
"are coming to light""prosecutions are now underway"What's actually there:
What's implied:
Impact: Instills false immediacy, prompting stronger emotional reactions as if the events or accountability are unfolding right now rather than historical revelations
Emphasizes the number of participants without contextualizing against the scale of the war or total war crimes, implying widespread complicity among the wealthy
Problematic phrases:
"around 100 tourists paid for the 'experience'"What's actually there:
100 out of millions affected by Bosnian War; isolated incident amid thousands of documented atrocities
What's implied:
Significant, representative scale of elite involvement in war crimes
Impact: Inflates perceived prevalence, leading readers to overestimate how common such 'tourism' was among wealthy individuals
Sources & References
External sources consulted for this analysis
https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-11-11/human-safaris-in-sarajevo-milan-investigates-1990s-trips-where-tourists-allegedly-paid-to-kill-civilians.html
https://metro.co.uk/2025/11/12/tourists-paid-70000-to-shoot-innocent-people-in-human-safari-hunting-trips-to-sarajevo-24686135/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15283069/Tourists-paid-70-000-shoot-innocent-people-human-safari-hunting-trips-Sarajevo-extra-charged-kill-children.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3epygq5272o
https://newlinesmag.com/spotlight/documentary-film-alleges-that-foreigners-took-part-in-civilian-hunting-in-bosnian-capital/
https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-11-11/human-safaris-in-sarajevo-milan-investigates-1990s-trips-where-tourists-allegedly-paid-to-kill-civilians.html?outputType=amp
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/11/milan-prosecutors-investigate-alleged-sniper-tourism-during-bosnian-war
https://www.gbnews.com/news/world/sarajevo-human-safari-tourists-shooting
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/foreigners-paid-shoot-civilians-sarajevo-bosnia-war-b2863505.html
https://greekcitytimes.com/2025/11/13/allegations-rich-foreigners-paid-to-hunt-people-during-bosnia-war
https://www.livemint.com/news/world/sniper-tourists-scandal-probe-launched-into-italians-who-allegedly-paid-to-shoot-civilians-in-1990s-sarajevo-siege-11762960587634.html
https://www.ladbible.com/news/world-news/bosnia-civil-war-sarajevo-sniper-tourists-allegations-877232-20251112
https://news-pravda.com/world/2025/11/12/1851990.html
https://italy.news-pravda.com/en/world/2025/11/12/28495.html
https://x.com/Basil_TGMD/status/1850217898721026380
https://x.com/Basil_TGMD/status/1984550678510100721
https://x.com/Basil_TGMD/status/1956287833242546551
https://x.com/Basil_TGMD/status/1985139215353393161
https://x.com/Basil_TGMD/status/1874137164596035985
https://x.com/Basil_TGMD/status/1861014219870642415
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/11/milan-prosecutors-investigate-alleged-sniper-tourism-during-bosnian-war
https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-11-11/human-safaris-in-sarajevo-milan-investigates-1990s-trips-where-tourists-allegedly-paid-to-kill-civilians.html
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/sniper-tourism-italians-paid-serb-army-to-kill-civilians-during-sarajevo-siege-probe-under-way/articleshow/125270279.cms
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3epygq5272o
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/11/11/italy-investigation-siege-of-sarajevo-bosnian-war/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15283069/Tourists-paid-70-000-shoot-innocent-people-human-safari-hunting-trips-Sarajevo-extra-charged-kill-children.html
https://www.chosun.com/english/world-en/2025/11/12/BHDNC2JKTJH5PNFWIXOJC6SY5Q/
https://www.gbnews.com/news/world/sarajevo-human-safari-tourists-shooting
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/italian-prosecutors-investigate-sniper-tourism-215713128.html
https://greekcitytimes.com/2025/11/13/allegations-rich-foreigners-paid-to-hunt-people-during-bosnia-war
https://azat.tv/en/sarajevo-safari-dark-truth-paid-sniper-attacks-enduring-memory/
https://italy.news-pravda.com/en/world/2025/11/12/28495.html
https://www.livemint.com/news/world/sniper-tourists-scandal-probe-launched-into-italians-who-allegedly-paid-to-shoot-civilians-in-1990s-sarajevo-siege-11762960587634.html
https://www.98online.com/tourists-paid-70000-to-shoot-innocent-people-in-human-safari-hunting-trips-to-sarajevo-with-extra-charged-to-kill-children
https://x.com/Basil_TGMD/status/1949516541050966497
https://x.com/Basil_TGMD/status/1962409424170926101
https://x.com/Basil_TGMD/status/1960743705478050131
https://x.com/Basil_TGMD/status/1875852911043072143
https://x.com/Basil_TGMD/status/1984550678510100721
https://x.com/Basil_TGMD/status/1952257599451099456
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