Eiffel Tower Incident: Man Arrested Ahead of Olympics Finale

Eiffel Tower witnessed a man climbing it on Sunday, just hours before the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics, leading to his arrest by Paris police. The incident occurred around 14:45 local time (13:45 BST) when officers saw him scaling the iconic landmark. Police quickly intervened and took him into custody. Authorities have not yet released further details about the man’s motivations or nationality.

Social media footage captured the shirtless climber scaling the Eiffel Tower, just above the Olympic rings that decorated the tower for the summer games. Another video showed police escorting the man away with his hands cuffed behind his back. As officers led him away, he remarked to a bystander, “Bloody warm, innit?” During the incident, French police evacuated the area around the Eiffel Tower, according to the Associated Press.

CNN also confirmed that the tower was evacuated, though the BBC could not independently verify the extent of these evacuations or their status later in the afternoon. The Eiffel Tower had served as a central element in the grand opening ceremony of the Olympics, showcasing its iconic presence during the initial festivities.

However, the organizers had not planned for the tower to be a focal point in the closing ceremony later that day, as it had already fulfilled its role in the opening celebrations.