A Romanian mayor has sparked an outcry after he appeared in public apparently sporting an Adolf Hitler-style haircut and moustache.

The Romanian Centre for Monitoring and Combating Antisemitism filed a complaint at the public prosecutor's office against Radu Mazare, who appears to have a penchant for the Nazi look.

Mazare, the mayor of Constanta, was investigated in 2009 for wearing a Wehrmacht uniform at a fashion show. He was photographed goose-stepping along the catwalk alongside scantily-clad women while doing Nazi salutes.

In a press conference held at a hairdresser's, Mazare said that he had not intended to cause offence with his haircut, which he said was popular among youngsters, and proceeded to have his hair restyled. He added that the moustache was "an optical illusion".

Mazare said that he had helped bring Israeli investments to Constanta, which resulted in antisemitic abuse being directed at him. He added that he would always apologise for wearing the Nazi uniform in 2009.

In the past, Mazare has been photographed posing with near-naked girls and waving an automatic pistol.

Commenting on Mazare's apparent Hitler stunt, the director of the Elie Wiesel Institute for the Study of Holocaust in Romania, Alexandru Florian, said: "This was a serious gesture which proves a lack of political culture and an inclination towards sensationalism, devoid of values and principles."

Mazare is under investigation over corruption allegations and, when asked about why he sometimes wears military outfits, said: "I am in a war against prosecutors who want to throw me in jail."