bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Agence France-Presse

The urban climber Alain Robert was arrested on Tuesday, police said, after he scaled one of Manila’s tallest towers in his latest high-risk ascent.
Robert, 56, nicknamed the “French Spider-Man”, climbed the 47-storey GT Tower without safety equipment, leaving watchers on the ground staring in amazement.
“This is my path, this is my way of living. It is as important to me as eating, sleeping. I need that. It keeps me alive,” he told reporters after completing the climb.
Police were less enthusiastic about the stunt and took him into custody as soon as he reached the ground after the roughly two-hour climb up and down the building.
He is being held on a charge of public disturbance and will post bail on Wednesday, his lawyer Howard Calleja said on Tuesday night.

Robert has scaled more than 100 structures without ropes or other safety equipment, setting a record for “most buildings climbed unassisted” according to Guinness World Records.
His successes include many of the world’s tallest skyscrapers and iconic buildings, such as the Eiffel Tower, the Sydney Opera House, the headquarters of The New York Times, the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur and the Burj Khalifa in Dubai – where he used suction devices and a safety rope as it has no hand or footholds.
Why climbing is still a game for French Spider-Man despite jail, beatings and 15-metre fall
However, in June he was foiled when he attempted to ascend a Seoul skyscraper, getting more than halfway up the 123-storey Lotte World Tower before security forced him to abort.
Robert said he first intended to scale the GT Tower on Saturday but changed his mind when he saw building security men armed with guns, normal in the Philippines but not in most of the 70 countries where he said he had climbed.

“I’m just climbing a building. I’m not killing anybody. It’s not a bank robbery,” he said.
“I saw thousands of people inside the buildings. I did brighten their day. They will remember that their whole life.”
Robert has suffered several severe falls while climbing and estimates his accidents have left him 66 per cent disabled. He has been arrested numerous times for his exploits. He said on Tuesday that he wanted to climb in Chile and Panama in the future.


She married 2 men at once in Thailand – and her mother is fine with it

Dining dogs, the Year of the Horse: cartoonist Harry Harrison’s wry takes on February

New York police arrest man after officers pelted in massive snowball fight

Japan’s ‘naked festival’ draws crowds to wrestle for blessings in frigid mud

Offbeat

‘French Spider-Man’ Alain Robert arrested after scaling 47-storey skyscraper in Manila

Alain Robert climbing the 47-storey GT Tower in Manila on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

epaselect epa07328729 French climber Alain Robert reacts during an interview with the press after he was arrested for climbing the GT International Tower in Makati, south of Manila, Philippines, 29 January 2019. Alain Robert, also known as the 'French Spiderman', climbed the GT International Tower with a height of 217.20 meters. Robert was arrested by the police after climbing down from the tower. EPA-EFE/MARK R. CRISTINO

REFILE - CORRECTING STOREY COUNT French climber Alain Robert, also known as "The French Spiderman" waves as he climbs down the 47-storey GT International Tower in Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines January 29, 2019. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez

‘French Spider-Man’ Alain Robert arrested after scaling 47-storey skyscraper in Manila

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}The 56-year-old is being held on a charge of public disturbance

The 56-year-old is being held on a charge of public disturbance