Berlin bans snapshot 'soldiers' at Checkpoint Charlie

Authorities in the German capital have outlawed the wearing of fake United States Army uniforms at a popular tourist attraction in a bid to protect people from hustlers demanding cash for photo opportunities and souvenir "border stamps".

The move came after it emerged that a group claiming to be performance artists had demanded money while dressed as US soldiers at Checkpoint Charlie, the iconic Cold War gate of the Berlin Wall that linked the Soviet-controlled eastern part of the city with the western section overseen by the US, Britain and France.

The ban coincides with the 30th anniversary of the fall of the wall that divided the city from August 1961 to November 1989.Checkpoint Charlie was the site of one of the tensest moments of the Cold War, as the US and Soviet tanks faced off in October 1961.