A 28-year-old man from Cottonera has been arrested in connection with the mugging of a 67-year-old woman on a Sliema street earlier this week.

The man was apprehended early yesterday afternoon after a person recognised the robber from security camera footage uploaded on You Tube and informed the police.

The police said they were investigating the case.

The woman, wearing a pink top and black trousers and carrying a white bag, is seen walking down Sir Luigi Camilleri Street at 3.46pm on Tuesday afternoon.

A man wearing a black top and trousers with a thin white stripe and sunglasses on his head is seen following her.

He runs up to the woman, puts his hand around her neck, grabs the necklace and pulls it, dragging her onto the road.

The necklace breaks and the woman falls to the tarmac as the mugger runs off.

A relative told The Times that the thief had stolen a gold necklace with a diamond cross.

The police recovered the crucifix but not the necklace, the relative said.

The woman was suffering from shock and bruising after theincident but was fine, the relative added.

The video and stills of the robber went viral online – especially on Facebook – with people expressing shock and surprise at the violent act and calling on anyone who recognised him to inform the police.

The video can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1IHZlDezDO4.