French police evacuated the area around the Eiffel Tower after a man was seen climbing the Paris landmark hours before the closing ceremony of the Olympics.
The man was seen climbing the 330m tower in the afternoon. It is not clear where he started his ascent, but he was seen just above the Olympic rings adorning the second part of the monument, just above the first observation deck.
Police escorted visitors from the area around 3 p.m. Some patrons who were briefly locked on the second floor were allowed out about 30 minutes later.
“A man started climbing the Eiffel Tower at 2:45 p.m., the police intervened and the man was detained,” a Paris police official told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the investigation. ongoing on the event.
The Eiffel Tower was at the heart of the opening ceremony, with Celine Dion singing the city from one of the vantage points. The tower is not expected to be part of the closing ceremony, which was due to start at the Stade de France in the northern suburb of Saint-Denis at 9pm.
The event comes at a time when the Olympic competitions are drawing to a close and security services in Paris and beyond are turning their attention to the closing ceremony that brings down the curtain on the games.
2024-08-11 16:20:56
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