The suspect in the case of a man who posted a photo of a group of boys dressed in school uniform online was arrested in a police raid, authorities said on Monday.
The arrest of 28-year-old Guido Giuseppe Varela, of Italy, on Saturday afternoon was announced by police in Naples, who said they had launched an investigation into the incident.
Varela was arrested on suspicion of stalking and violating a restraining order in connection with a Facebook post he made about a group he had identified on the social networking site in March, police said.
Police said the man posted the picture of the group in a comment section about a football match.
The comment included a photo caption that read “boys”, the police said in a statement.
Vareda’s alleged behavior has sparked a social media firestorm after a photograph of him in a school uniform appeared online, with the caption “boys dressed in boys’ school uniform”.
He was not immediately available for comment.
Varesla had posted on Facebook about the same group of students that he had been identified in the post, according to police.
The group included about a dozen boys and girls wearing a white school uniform and sporting a number of baseball caps and shirts.
Varenna’s father, Stefano, said he was “heartbroken” by the arrest.
“My son is an innocent person,” he told AFP news agency.
“I’m sure the authorities are going to work on his behalf to get justice for him.”
Varelas is currently on trial in the southern city of Pozzallo.
He has pleaded not guilty.
The case has prompted outrage across Italy, with many calling for the prosecution of the alleged cyberstalker.
