An 18-year-old student has been arrested on suspicion of posting without authorisation images of a woman who stripped her clothes off in a Hong Kong public library, police have said.

The man was detained after he downloaded screenshots from social media service Telegram of a four-second clip that went viral online last week and led the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, which is responsible for the library service, to file a complaint with police.

The footage, first reported in the media last Tuesday, shows a woman taking off clothing as the camera pans towards her and ends when she reaches for a bookshelf in what is believed to be the Central Library in Causeway Bay.

Officers from Wan Chai district arrested the 18-year-old man in the area on Monday. A police source said he was a student.

The Central Library in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay.

He was alleged to have published on his Twitter account private images of a naked woman in a library in Causeway Bay without authorisation earlier this year.

The source said the teenager was not linked to the woman, who is still to be traced by officers.

“The arrested man downloaded those images taken at the Central Library and uploaded them to his Twitter account to boost his popularity and so that he could sell other indecent pictures for money,” he added.

The offence is punishable by a maximum penalty of five years in jail.

The man was later released on bail and must report back to police next month.

The spokesman added that further arrests were possible.

Legislation rules that anyone who indecently exposes themselves in a public place or in view of the public without lawful authority or excuse could face six months in prison and a HK$2,000 (US$254) fine.

A common law offence of outraging public decency, punishable by up to seven years in jail, can also be used.