Sarajevo assassination: 102 years ago, the assassination of Ferdinand was the trigger for World War I

102 years have passed since the Sarajevo assassination. On June 28, 1914, Gavrilo Princip assassinated Austro-Hungarian heir Franz Ferdinand. Ferdinand and his beautiful, pregnant wife Sophie were driving through the festively decorated city in a black convertible car, along the Embankment to the City Hall, writes the Patria News Agency.

Franz and Sophie came to Sarajevo to visit Austro-Hungarian troops, then the National Museum, and then to ride the first tram in Europe, the one for which Vienna and Pest laid iron rails through Sarajevo, as an experiment, before doing the same on their own streets. They also wanted to celebrate their 14th wedding anniversary in Sarajevo.

There were a large number of citizens on the streets. They threw flowers onto the road the convoy was taking.

Among the citizens were members of the organization Young Bosnia, controlled by the secret Serbian terrorist organization Black Hand, led by Dragutin Dimitrijević Apis. As the convoy moved towards City Hall, where Ferdinand was to meet Mayor Fehim Čurčić, a young man named Nedeljko Čabrinović, a member of the Young Bosnia organization, threw a hand grenade at the car carrying the couple.

The bomb exploded in the crowd, injuring about ten citizens. The convoy continued towards City Hall.

Another member of Young Bosnia, Gavrilo Princip, drew a pistol and shot at the car in which the heir apparent was riding. The first shot hit Ferdinand, while the second bullet was fatal for Sophie.

Princip and his accomplices were apprehended by the people of Sarajevo. The Sarajevo assassination served as the trigger for the start of World War I and entered world history. For some, Princip and his team are terrorists, while for others, they are 'Vidovdan heroes'.

Young Bosnia

The members of Young Bosnia who participated in the assassination were: Vasa Čubrilović, Mehmed Mehmedbašić, Nedeljko Čubrilović, Cvetko Popović, Danilo Ilić, Trifko Grabež, and Gavrilo Princip