GETTY Donalnd Trump has said that the UK is not safe after the Brussels attacks

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The Republican front-runner has suggested Britain was among countries which have become “weak” and cannot protect themselves. Mr Trump said that Europe had “very, very severe” problems when it came to terrorism and that it needed better law enforcement. He spoke out as riot police in Brussels fired water cannon at far-Right protesters yesterday. Officers tried to restore order after the group, making Nazi salutes and chanting, confronted Muslim women among crowds paying tribute to last week’s bomb victims.

Mr Trump’s comments on Britain risk a backlash similar to that he received in December when he claimed that police in London were “afraid for their own lives” because some areas of the capital were so radicalised.

No, I don’t. I think there are a lot of problems in Europe that are very, very severe Presidential candidate Donald Trump

Mr Trump was asked if he would feel safe travelling to Europe after the Brussels attacks by Islamic State terrorists, which left at least 31 dead and 340 injured. Those who died included Briton David Dixon, 50. Mr Trump said: “I don’t think Brussels, England or... I don’t think that Europe is a safe place. No, I don’t. I think there are a lot of problems in Europe that are very, very severe. “Lots of the free world has become weak.

REUTERS Fair-right protests in Brussels a city Trump described as 'unsafe'

“When you look at Brussels, when you look at the way they’ve handled things from law enforcement standpoints, when you look at Paris, when you look at so many other places, no, it’s not. “But neither is the United States a safe place, because we’re allowing thousands of people to come in here. Nobody knows where they’re from. And let me tell you something, we’re going to have problems just as big or bigger than they’ve got.” Mr Trump said that, were he to become president, he would make America’s allies pay for the “cloak of protection” the US offers. The billionaire said that he was sick of America being “ripped off” by its allies.

He said he would allow Japan and South Korea to develop their own nuclear deterrents. He denied his world view was isolationist and preferred to describe it as “America first”. Mr Trump said that he would consider stopping buying oil from Saudi Arabia and other allies in the Middle East unless they committed ground troops to fight IS.

REUTERS Italian police arrest suspect Djamal Eddine Ouali

Another option would be for them to “substantially reimburse” the US for its role fighting the terrorist group. He branded the US’s relationship with countries such as China, Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia as “lopsided”. He said: “We have been disrespected, mocked and ripped off for many many years by people that were smarter, shrewder, tougher.” Mr Trump said that he does not want the US to be the “policeman of the world” any more.

GETTY The Republican candidate warned the US could have problems even bigger than Europe's