As pictures posted on the police's Facebook feed prove all too clearly, the individual in question dropped his trousers and indeed everything else down to sock level to pose for a picture taken by a friend as snow fell gently all around.
Asked to provide an explanation for this goosebump-speckled impromptu striptease, the pale disrober offered an unlikely explanation when he was run to ground in a nearby hostelry soon after.
"The young man explained in English that he is a foreign student. At his university there is a photo contest where you can win a TV. The young man had decided to pose for a nude portrait in the Old Town to send it into the competition. Being a student, he cannot afford to buy such a valuable electronic device, so was hoping for victory in the competition. The young man apologized and promised not to repeat such actions," said the police, who let him off with a stiff talking to on the basis that only his friend had seen the offense take place.
So while he may not have won a television, at least he has appeared on television: the closed-circuit system monitoring the Latvian capital day and night.
If you do feel the urge to bare all in public in Latvia, we advise you to head not for Rīga but Kuldīga, where this sort of thing is not only tolerated but positively encouraged. Unfortunately there are no televisions on offer, just the joy of tearing around the city center stark naked.
