Venice's controversial mayor has declared that anyone shouting "Allahu akbar" in the city's famous St Mark's Square will be shot "after three steps".

Luigi Brugnaro also said the Italian city was safer than Barcelona, where terrorists killed 13 people earlier this month in a van attack at the La Rambla tourist hotspot.

His previous controversial stances have included a ban on books about homosexuality in Venice's schools.

According to The Times, Mr Brugnaro said: "We keep our guard up.

"If anyone runs into St Mark's Square shouting 'Allahu akbar' we will take him down.

"A year ago, I said after four steps. Now, after three."

Defending his remarks at a conference in northern Italy, he added: "I have never been politically correct, I am incorrect. I would shoot, we would shoot."

Concrete barriers have been installed in some of Italy's most famous sites in the wake of the Barcelona atrocity.