A bare-chested climber was spotted scaling halfway up the north face of the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Sunday afternoon before being arrested just hours before the Olympics closing ceremony, reports Cape {town} Etc.
The area around the Eiffel Tower was subsequently evacuated with some visitors being temporarily blocked on the second floor of the iconic 330-metre structure.
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‘At 2:45pm, an individual was seen climbing the Eiffel Tower,’ a police spokesperson told The Associated Press. ‘The police immediately intervened and the person was detained’.
While it is unclear where he began his ascent, footage circulating on social media platforms shows the 33-year-old skirting the Olympic rings adorning the second section of the monument, just above the first viewing deck without a harness or safety ropes.
Someone is climbing up the Eiffel Tower right now! pic.twitter.com/prpdDIeEN8
— Matt Wallace (@MattWallace888) August 11, 2024
The British climber becomes the latest person to attempt to scale the Eiffel Tower after two similar instances occurred in 2019 when a man climbed up its side, and in 2015 when three people were spotted ascending the famous structure.
In one video, the grinning climber can be heard saying to bystanders: ‘Bloody hot, innit?’ as he was escorted in handcuffs off the viewing platform by police.
British man who scaled the Eiffel Tower topless earlier today smiled as he was taken away by police while saying:
“It’s bloody hot, innit?”
The man’s motive for climbing the Eiffel Tower remains unknown at this time. pic.twitter.com/DeKEvwogaj
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) August 11, 2024
‘He was heading towards the second floor when he was stopped by specialist climbing police,’ an investigating source told the Mirror. ‘The arrested man is British and a professional climber, and he is cooperating with the authorities.’
Paris prosecutors confirmed to the publication that he now faces a charge of ‘endangering the lives of others’ – an offence that comes with a one-year prison sentence and a fine equivalent to £12 800 (R299 051,37).
The Eiffel Tower formed one of the centrepieces of the Olympics opening ceremony, with Celine Dion serenading the city from one of its viewing areas. The historic landmark, however, was not part of the closing ceremony, which took place at Stade de France in the northern suburb of Saint-Denis later that evening.
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Picture: @runews / X