A potential VVD councillor in Almere has been arrested for hacking into the computer accounts of celebrities in a hunt for nude photos and videos, the Telegraaf reported on Tuesday.

Mitchell van der K., who pulled out of the running to represent the VVD last month citing personal circumstances, uploaded some of the explicit material to the internet. One of his victims is vlogger Laura Ponticorvo, dozens of whose private photos and videos appeared on the internet last year, the paper writes.

He also tried to hack into the computers of ex-hockey player Fatima de Moreira de Melo and other celebrities, the paper said.

According to broadcaster NOS, Van der K, who headed lifestyle website Manners magazine, has admitted to hacking into iCloud accounts but denies having put the photos online.

The VVD in Almere did not know until last week that the man had been the subject of a police investigation lasting several months, Nos said.