Berlin police have arrested two Chinese tourists for making Hitler salutes in front of the Reichstag building, where the German parliament meets.

The two men aged 36 and 49, were spotted posing in the Nazi-era salutes and taking pictures of each other on their mobile phones. Use of the Hitler salute is a criminal offence in Germany, Slovakia and Austria.

"A probe on suspicion of using the symbols of anti-constitutional organisations was opened against the two Chinese men, aged 36 and 49," a police spokeswoman told AFP.

The pair were released on bail of €500 (£450) each. They face charges of “using symbols of illegal organisations” and could be sentenced to three years in jail, according to police.

A police spokesman said that the Chinese tourists were allowed to leave Germany during the investigation into their illegal actions. If a fine was meted out, the bail money they have already hand over would cover the costs. She did not know if the men were still in Berlin or had already left Germany, the New York Times reported.

The Reichstag building was where the Third Reich met from 1933 - 1945 and was the location for many of Hitler’s speeches. It was here that the Nazi leader declared war against the United States in 1941.

Symbols and images of the Nazis are banned in Germany and can only be used for educational or historical research. They can be included in documentaries or films that satirise the Nazi regime, according to Deutsche Welle.

The charges faced by the Chinese tourists are also used to prosecute members of the far right. Germany’s military counterintelligence unit is investigating allegations of right-wing extremists in the armed forces.

Nazi war crimes: the hunt for Doctor Death Show all 2 1 /2 Nazi war crimes: the hunt for Doctor Death Nazi war crimes: the hunt for Doctor Death 'Heim is the person we feel is the most important Nazi war criminal who can still be caught,' said Efraim Zuroff, the Simon Wiesenthal Center's top Nazi hunter AP Photo/LKA Baden-Wuerttemberg Nazi war crimes: the hunt for Doctor Death Independent Graphics

In 2016, 143 incidents were reported and 53 so far in 2017, including one soldier who was heard saying “Heil Hitler” and “sieg heil, comrades.” Despite the case being given to the public and military prosecutors’ offices, the trooper escaped an early dismissal from duty and was not banned from service.