Man arrested for climbing Eiffel Tower before closing ceremony
A British man has been arrested after climbing the Eiffel Tower just hours before the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics was due to commence.
Shocked onlookers were horrified when they spotted the shirtless man scaling the 330m structure with no harness, as he stood on top of the blue Olympic ring before continuing his dangerous ascent.
Incredible footage of the dangerous stunt, which was posted to X, shows him reaching halfway up the giant landmark with just a bag of chalk to help him, as he was not supported by any ropes or harnesses.
Other videos shows the free climber being taken away in handcuffs by French police as tourists looked on from the viewing platform.
The Paris Prosecutor’s office confirmed to The Sun the man was British and has been charged with endangering others and intrusion into a historic or cultural site.
A Paris police spokesman said: “At 2.45pm, an individual was seen climbing the Eiffel Tower. The police immediately intervened and arrested the individual.”
According to spectators, the man could be heard saying “bloody warm, innit” as he was led away by police.
Security officials quickly cordoned off the Eiffel Tower as they evacuated the site at around 3pm, as those inside were briefly locked up on the second floor, before they were allowed to leave around 30 minutes later once the man had been escorted from the area.
Specialist climbing police were sent up the tower after it was cleared to check for any suspicious or unusual activity.
Tourists queuing up for the landmark were left unaware of the ongoing situation and were left frustrated after they were told to leave.
One social media user posted on X: “Just waited in line for so long to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower but someone is trying to climb it so they just shut the whole thing down. Super.”
Image credits: X (Twitter)