Book Alleges Foreigners Paid Serbian Handlers to Kill Civilians in Sarajevo Siege

A book titled “Pay and Shoot” by Croatian journalist Domagoj Margetic presents documents describing organized killings of civilians during the siege of Sarajevo. The documents come from Bosnian intelligence officer Nedzad Ugljen, who was killed in 1996.

They allege that wealthy foreigners paid Serbian handlers 80,000 Deutsche marks to kill middle-aged women, 95,000 marks to kill young females, and 110,000 marks to kill pregnant women.

Ugljen wrote that participants competed to shoot the most attractive women. He also stated that a European royal arrived by helicopter, stayed near Vogosca, and wanted to shoot at children. The activity was handled by security services because foreigners took part. It originated in Croatia and involved Zvonko Horvatincic, who had previously worked for Yugoslav intelligence forces.

Last year Italian prosecutors opened an investigation after writer Ezio Gavazzeni alleged that Germans, French, and English tourists paid more than $90,000 to shoot people. The probe seeks to identify any Italians involved. In February an 80-year-old former truck driver was placed under investigation on several counts of premeditated murder.

More than 10,000 people were killed by snipers and shelling in Sarajevo between 1992 and 1996.