A shirtless man was spotted climbing the Eiffel Tower on Sunday, prompting police to evacuate the area around the Paris landmark before arresting the daredevil on the final day of the Olympic Games.
The unidentified man grinned and told bystanders, "Bloody warm, innit?" as cops led him away from a viewing platform, Reuters reported, citing a video posted on social media.
The incident began unfolding around 2:45 p.m. local time, just hours ahead of the closing ceremony of the Olympics at the Stade de France in the suburb north of Saint-Denis.
Someone is climbing up the Eiffel Tower right now! pic.twitter.com/prpdDIeEN8
— Matt Wallace (@MattWallace888) August 11, 2024
It's unclear where the man began scaling the 1,083-foot-tall structure without ropes or a harness.
He was first spotted near the Olympic rings affixed to the monument's second section, just above the first viewing deck, the Associated Press reported.
Police escorted people from the base of the tower around 3 p.m. and visitors who were briefly locked on the second floor were allowed to leave about 30 minutes later, AP said.
The Eiffel Tower figured prominently in the opening ceremony, which featured Celine Dion singing from a viewing area in her first performance since revealing in 2022 that she'd been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder.
