Photo caption:
The Olympic rings are being installed on the Eiffel Tower for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in Paris on early June 7, 2024. (Photo by Sameer Al-Doumy / AFP)
A man was arrested for climbing the Eiffel Tower on Sunday, hours before the Olympics closing ceremony, Paris police told the BBC.
The man was spotted climbing the tower at about 14:45 local time (13:45 BST) and officers immediately intervened and arrested him, police said. No more details were immediately available on the man’s motivation and nationality.
Videos on social media show a shirtless man scaling the tower just above the Olympic rings that have adorned it during the summer games.
In another video, the man is escorted away by police, hands cuffed behind his back, and says to a bystander: “Bloody warm, innit?”
The Associated Press reported that French police evacuated the area around the Eiffel Tower during the incident, while CNN also reported the tower was evacuated, citing police.
The BBC has not been able to independently verify any evacuations or whether they were still in place at 16:00.
The Eiffel Tower was the centrepiece of the grand finale of the Olympics opening ceremony, but was not expected to feature in the closing ceremony later on Sunday.
