Sarajevo sniper investigation: Photo, silencer seized from suspect in Italy

Italian Carabinieri have seized a "significant" photograph and a silencer from the home of one of four individuals under investigation for aggravated voluntary homicide in connection with alleged sniper activity in Sarajevo during the 1990s. The search, conducted by the ROS Carabinieri on behalf of Milan prosecutors, was deemed "positive" by investigators.

The suspect, a former municipal employee from Genoa residing in the Alessandria area, was interrogated in April. He reportedly did not answer prosecutors' questions but submitted a statement through his lawyer, Licia Sardo, denying previous media accounts. Sardo stated that the seized item is a newspaper clipping, not a photograph, and that the person depicted is not her client. She also asserted that her client never served in the military.

However, testimonies from the suspect's ex-wife and ex-girlfriend prompted the search. The ex-girlfriend reportedly stated that the suspect confessed to having nightmares about killing people in the past and that he had gone to Bosnia to fight during the war. She claims he told her he traveled from Milan by plane with others for a "weekend" trip to act as a sniper targeting Muslims. She also recalled him mentioning possessing a "silencer for weapons" and a "war zone pass," which was a photograph of him in a military-style pose with a foreign inscription on the back, serving as an authorization for war zones. The back of the photo allegedly contained markings corresponding to the number of people killed, described as circles or lines, acting as a kill count.

Investigators believe the photograph and silencer could help reconstruct the historical period in which they were taken and used. Other items found in the residence, including a utility knife with a swastika and a badge and trophy related to shooting range practice, were deemed less significant to the investigation. The suspect, who will turn 65 in August, holds a regular hunting weapons permit.

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Mi spiegò di aver avuto degli incubi perché in passato aveva ucciso delle persone - raccontandomi di essere andato in Bosnia a combattere durante la guerra.