Despite media reports claiming that the man who climbed the Eiffel Tower earlier in the day was arrested by police, he is in fact still at the top of the tower and is reportedly threatening to commit suicide.
"He is sitting on the third floor of the tower at the moment and is threatening to commit suicide", BFMTV broadcaster said.
The identity and the motivation of the "freerunner" remain unknown.
Earlier on Monday, the Eiffel Tower was evacuated after a man was seen climbing the tower. The authorities have adviced people to postpone their visits until further notice.
According to Twitter users, police have ordoned off and secured the area, and are negotiating with the man.
⚠️
— La tour Eiffel (@LaTourEiffel) May 20, 2019
🇫🇷 La #tourEiffel est actuellement fermée jusqu'à nouvel ordre. Pour éviter une trop longue attente, nous conseillons à nos visiteurs de reporter leur visite.
🇬🇧 The Eiffel Tower is currently closed until further notice. We kindly advise our visitors to postpone their visit.
Local media reports suggest that when the individual was detected, he was already on the second floor of the tower, 149 metres high.
BREAKING TWEET: The Eiffel Tower has been evacuated after a man was seen climbing the tower. The authorities have advised people to postpone their visits until further notice.
— irfan (@simplyirfan) 20 мая 2019 г.
Is he a Spider man? #EiffelTower pic.twitter.com/6P8iqu7Idp
WHY WOULD YOU CLIMB UP THE EIFFEL TOWER pic.twitter.com/wynQOUl2vR
— Paige (@PaigeMcSorley) 20 мая 2019 г.
The incident occurred during the celebration of the 130th anniversary of the architectural symbol of France. It was built by the order of the government for the Paris World Exhibition in 1889, designed by engineer Gustav Eiffel.
The tower became the tallest building in the world at the time. Initially, the structure was planned to be left for 20 years and then dismantled, but Eiffel proved that it was of great importance for various physical experiments.
