Eiffel Tower evacuated as man seen climbing landmark hours before Olympics closing ceremony arrested
The area around the Eiffel Tower in Paris has been evacuated ahead of this evening's Olympics closing ceremony - after a man, who has since been arrested, was seen climbing the famous landmark
French police have evacuated the area around the Eiffel Tower after a man was seen climbing the Paris landmark hours before the Olympics closing ceremony this afternoon.
The shirtless man was seen scaling the 330-meter (1,083-foot) tall tower in the afternoon without a harness. It’s unclear where he began his ascent, but he was spotted just above the Olympic rings adorning the second section of the monument, just above the first viewing deck.
Police escorted visitors away from the area around 3pm. Some visitors who were briefly locked on the second floor were allowed to exit around 30 minutes later. People have shared pictures on Twitter, appearing to show the man scaling up the side of the tower.
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A video shared to social media shows a man scaling the tower. In the video a man can be heard saying: "There is a dude climbing the Eiffel tower he has just passed the blue ring, I don't think he is wearing a shirt. Er, that's crazy."
The Eiffel Tower was a centrepiece of the opening ceremony, with Celine Dion serenading the city from one of its viewing areas. The Tower is not expected to be part of the closing ceremony, which was set to begin at Stade de France in the northern suburb of Saint-Denis at 9pm.
The incident occurred as the Olympic competition winds down and security services in Paris and beyond are shifting their focus to the closing ceremony that will bring the curtain down on the Games.
Social media posts show a man who appears to look like the Eiffel Tower climber being escorted away from the landmark by police in handcuffs. They have also reported that in response to the person filming the man appears to have a British accent.
The man - who appears to be British from his accent - can be heard saying "bloody warm innit" as he is led away. Specialist police climbers can be seen in social media posts around the man before he is escorted away.
France's Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced prior to today's major security breach that 23,000 police officers will be mobilised in the French capital this evening. At least 3,000 extra officers will be stationed around the Stade de France where the ceremony is due to take place.
In another video posted to social media, a woman can be heard shouting for security. A man behind her says: "They don't even know he is right there." An official can be heard in the background asking those filming to "keep moving" and then to "stop filming." The woman who posted the video tweeted: "Not someone climbing the Eiffel Tower and making the whole place evacuate still had a good time nonetheless."
A French police spokesperson has said: "At 2.45 pm, an individual was seen climbing the Eiffel Tower. The police immediately intervened and arrested the individual."
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