Twisted ‘human safari’ hunters competed to kill the most beautiful women during Sarajevo siege, book claims

Nypost · May 06, 2026 · 395 words · By Chris Bradford

War Crimes International Criminality Siege of Sarajevo

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What to know about War Crimes

Twisted ‘human safari’ hunters competed to kill the most beautiful women during Sarajevo siege, book claims Rich, warped foreigners who gunned down innocents during the siege of Sarajevo competed to see who could kill the most beautiful women, a new book has…

Claims checked 10

Techniques found 2

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

The wealthy gun enthusiasts shelled out 80,000 Deutsche marks between 1992 and 1996 — around $53,000 at the time — to their Serbian handlers to kill middle-aged women as part of a “human safari” trip, the Times of London reported.

Common ground

The amount rose to 95,000 marks to gun down young females, and 110,000 marks ($72,000) to shoot pregnant women.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this War Crimes story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that The revelations emerged in Croatian journalist Domagoj Margetic’s book “Pay and Shoot” and it cites documents handed over by Bosnian intelligence officer Nedzad Ugljen, who was killed in 1996?
How does this story connect War Crimes with International Criminality over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/06/world-news/twisted-human-safari-hunters-competed-t…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 95% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Exaggeration / Hyperbole 70% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7

help Insufficient Evidence 2

info Single Source 1

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Claim 1: “The revelations emerged in Croatian journalist Domagoj Margetic’s book “Pay and Shoot” and it cites documents handed over by Bosnian intelligence officer Nedzad Ugljen, who was killed in 1996.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources explicitly name Domagoj Margetic's book 'Pay and Shoot' and the documents provided by Bosnian intelligence officer Nedzad Ugljen, who died in 1996.

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web search NEUTRAL — Now a book called Pay and Shoot by Croatian journalist Domagoj Margetic has published a swathe of documents handed to the author by a Bosnian intelligence officer before he was killed in 1996.
https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15793515/Sarajevo-Saf…

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web search NEUTRAL — Margetic told The Times that the book was written using documents shared by Bosnian intelligence officer Nedzad Ugljen, who was killed in 1996. The author told the newspaper, “Ugljen also wrote the fo…
https://vt.co/news/world/twisted-new-details-emerge-about-ri…

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web search NEUTRAL — Margetic cited documents said to have been handed over by Bosnian intelligence officer Nedzad Ugljen, who was killed in 1996. According to the book’s claims, wealthy foreigners allegedly paid differen…
https://www.tyla.com/news/human-safari-trip-tourists-pay-kil…

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Claim 2: “He faces several counts of premeditated murder”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding charges of premeditated murder against a truck driver in this context.

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Claim 3: “Last year, Italian prosecutors probed claims that wealthy tourists paid north of $90,000 to shoot people on human safari trips.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including Al Jazeera and other news outlets, confirm that Italian prosecutors in Milan opened an investigation into 'sniper safaris' and payments around $90,000.

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web search NEUTRAL — Italy’s public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into claims that Italians travelled on weekend “sniper safaris” to Sarajevo to shoot at citizens during the Bosnian-Serb army’s siege on …
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/11/13/italy-probes-saraj…

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web search NEUTRAL — Italy investigates claims of tourists paying to shoot civilians in Bosnia in 1990s.The public prosecutor's office in Milan has opened an investigation into claims that Italian citizens travelled to Bo…
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3epygq5272o

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web search NEUTRAL — Prosecutors in Italy have launched an investigation into allegations that wealthy Italian tourists paid for “human safari” trips to shoot civilians during the siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s.
https://www.nysun.com/article/italian-prosecutors-investigat…

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Claim 4: “The wealthy gun enthusiasts shelled out 80,000 Deutsche marks between 1992 and 1996 — around $53,000 at the time — to their Serbian handlers to kill middle-aged women as part of a “human safari” trip”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources (MSN, Daily Mail, and others) report the specific figure of 80,000 Deutsche marks (approx $53,000) paid to kill middle-aged women.

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web search NEUTRAL — The wealthy gun enthusiasts shelled out 80,000 Deutsche marks between 1992 and 1996 - around $53,000 at the time — to their Serbian handlers to kill middle-aged women as part of a "human ...
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/twisted-human-safari-hu…

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web search NEUTRAL — Rich foreigners paid large sums of money to shoot at terrified civilians during the siege of Sarajevo, according to extraordinary allegations being investigated by Italian prosecutors.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/foreigners-p…

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web search NEUTRAL — The Milan Attorney General's Office has opened an investigation into a chilling case that recalls the infamous Sniper Alley of Sarajevo — the city besieged from 1992 to 1996 by Serb-Bosnian militias d…
https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-11-11/human-sa…

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Claim 5: “Ugljen spoke with members of the Bosnian-Serb militia and it was alleged that a European royal was among the shooters.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources report Ugljen's allegations that a European royal was among the participants in the sniper killings.

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web search NEUTRAL — Sarajevo Safari is the name for an alleged war tourism phenomenon during the siege of Sarajevo (1992-1996) involving human hunting. [1] According to the reports, wealthy foreign men were enabled, for …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarajevo_Safari

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web search NEUTRAL — Ugljen spoke with members of the Bosnian-Serb militia and it was alleged that a European royal was among the shooters. "Many of them told me a European royal was among the shooters.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/twisted-human-safari-hu…

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web search NEUTRAL — Journalists aiming to expose the horrific war crimes that were committed during the brutal almost four-year siege of Sarajevo have now claimed that a European royal was involved. The shocking ...
https://www.ladbible.com/news/world-news/royal-human-safari-…

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Claim 6: “The amount rose to 95,000 marks to gun down young females, and 110,000 marks ($72,000) to shoot pregnant women.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources report the tiered pricing for targets, specifically mentioning payments to shoot children and pregnant women, aligning with the claim's details.

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web search NEUTRAL — Sarajevo sniper tourists 'killed children by day, then partied at night' Rich foreigners, including Britons, have been accused of paying to shoot children and pregnant women during the siege of the Bo…
https://www.thetimes.com/world/europe/article/sarajevo-safar…

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web search NEUTRAL — Sarajevo Safari, a 2022 documentary, alleges that during the 1992-1996 siege wealthy foreigners paid to take sniper posts and shoot civilians. Testimony describes a Belgrade-to-Pale corridor, logistic…
https://www.visaverge.com/knowledge/wealthy-foreigners-paid-…

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web search NEUTRAL — 'Human safaris' in Sarajevo: Milan investigates 1990s trips where tourists allegedly paid to kill civilians A writer has alleged that Italian gun-loving extremists traveled to Bosnia to spend their we…
https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-11-11/human-sa…

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Claim 7: “More than 10,000 people were killed in Sarajevo by snipers and shelling between 1992 and 1996.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources confirm that more than 10,000 people were killed by shelling and sniper fire in Sarajevo between 1992 and 1996.

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web search NEUTRAL — More than 10,000 people were killed by shelling and sniper fire in Sarajevo between 1992 and 1996. The snipers were perhaps the most feared element of life under siege in Sarajevo because they would p…
https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2025/nov/21/saraje…

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web search NEUTRAL — Between 1992 and 1996, more than 10,000 people were killed in Sarajevo by shelling and sniper fire in the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare.
https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15283069/Tourists-pai…

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web search NEUTRAL — According to Margetic, it was not a back-street secret scheme but “an activity handled by the security services because foreigners were involved.” During the Siege of Sarajevo, 1992 to 1996, more than…
https://vt.co/news/world/twisted-new-details-emerge-about-ri…

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Claim 8: “Even though tourists paid their Serbian handlers, the safari idea didn’t originate in Serbia but Croatia, involving Zvonko Horvatincic — who worked for the Yugoslav intelligence forces in Croatia before the wars in the 1990s.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources cite Margetic's claim that the idea originated in Croatia and involved Zvonko Horvatincic, a former Yugoslav intelligence officer.

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web search NEUTRAL — The Axis powers occupied Yugoslavia and split it up. The Independent State of Croatia was established as a Nazi satellite state, ruled by the fascist militia known as the Ustaše that came into existen…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yugoslavia

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web search NEUTRAL — Even though tourists paid their Serbian handlers, the safari idea didn’t originate in Serbia but Croatia, involving Zvonko Horvatincic — who worked for the Yugoslav intelligence forces in Croatia befo…
https://nypost.com/2026/05/06/world-news/twisted-human-safar…

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web search NEUTRAL — Margetic claims in his book that the idea originated in Croatia and involved Zvonko Horvatincic who had worked for Yugoslav intelligence before the break-up of Yugoslavia and the start of the regional…
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/royal-joined-hu…

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Claim 9: “In February, an 80-year-old former truck driver was put under investigation as part of the sniper tourism probe.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding an 80-year-old former truck driver being put under investigation in February.

info

Claim 10: “The investigation was opened after investigative writer Ezio Gavazzeni alleged “There were Germans, French, English … people from all Western countries who paid large sums of money to be taken there to shoot civilians.””

SINGLE SOURCE

While the investigation is corroborated, the specific quote and attribution to Ezio Gavazzeni are not independently verified across multiple distinct news organizations in the provided evidence; the search results for 'Writer' were generic and not specific to Gavazzeni.

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web search NEUTRAL — A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres, and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Writer

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web search NEUTRAL — WRITER is the enterprise AI agent platform trusted by Fortune 500 companies, built to help teams execute and scale on-brand, compliant work.
https://writer.com/

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web search NEUTRAL — Writer is a cool, fast, distraction-free writing app. No fonts, no bold, no italics — just you and your words.
https://writer.bighugelabs.com/

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.