A MUGSHOT of a US man arrested on weapons charges has attracted more attention than usual after going viral on social media with thousands of comments from women praising his "sexiness".

The picture of Jeremy Meeks, 30, was published on the Facebook page of Stockton Police Department in California after he was held on five weapons and one gang charge.

It has attracted more than 33,000 likes and 10,400 comments, and been shared more than 3,300 times

Officer Joseph Silva described Meeks as "one of the most violent criminals in the Stockton area".