French police arrested a man who was seen climbing the Eiffel Tower just a few hours before the Paris Olympics closing ceremony was set to begin.
The Paris landmark was evacuated Sunday afternoon after the climber was spotted making his way past the Olympic rings adorning the tower about halfway up the 1,083-foot structure.
Video circulating on social media shows cops escorting the shirtless man around the base of the tower, who smiles broadly as he walks past a crowd of onlookers with his hands cuffed behind his back, saying, “bloody warm, innit?” to the lookie-loos.
A man climbs the Eiffel Tower, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris. Jason Freeman via Storyful
Police evacuate the area around the Eiffel Tower after a man was seen climbing the historic landmark, during the 2024 Summer Olympics. AP“An individual started climbing the Eiffel Tower at 2:45 p.m., police intervened and the person was detained,” a Paris police official said on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing investigation.
It was not immediately clear where the climber started his climb or whether he descended the tower himself or if he was forced to by police.
The landmark featured heavily in the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony, with Celine Dion giving a rare performance from one of its viewing decks as the games kicked off July 26.
The man’s climb forced the evacuation of the tower. Jason Freeman via Storyful
The daredevil made it past the Olympic rings. APMore than 30,000 police officers were deployed around Paris on Sunday as the Olympics winds down. France’s Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said about 3,000 police officers will be mobilized around the Stade de France, and 20,000 police troops and other security personnel in Paris and the Saint-Denis area will be mobilized late into Sunday night to ensure safety on the last day of the Olympics.
With Post wires
