An
aspiring Italian actor who poses for tourists as a sword-touting Roman
gladiator in front of the Colosseum could face up to three years in jail
for bearing illegal arms, police said on Tuesday.

Franco Magni, 29, and a handful of other men dressed in feathered
helmets, studded breastplates and Roman sandals charge tourists to take
their picture in front of the ruins of the amphitheater.

But unlike his colleagues, Magni had armed himself with a real sword.
In coming days he will have to appear in front of a judge on charges of
"illegally bearing arms without a license," a police spokesman
told reporters.

"The other centurions use plastic or wooden swords, but this man
was carrying around a real sword. No one in Italy can just walk around
with arms like that," he said.

Police swooped on Magni after a tourist filed a complaint against him
for carrying a sword. They confiscated the weapon, but released Magni to
await trial in freedom.

Magni could be sentenced to up to three years in jail if found
guilty.