KUALA LUMPUR: French climber Alain Robert, dubbed "Spiderman", for his ropeless ascents on some of the world's skyscrapers, finally conquered the Petronas Twin Towers yesterday on his third attempt.
The 47-year-old had attempted the climb twice before -- in 1997 and 2007 -- but was arrested by the authorities both times when he reached the 60th floor.
Yesterday, however, the Frenchman caused many red faces among the security personnel at the Twin Towers when he gave them the slip and began his climb at 6am.
He reached the pinnacle of the 88-storey building one hour and 45 minutes later, undetected by the guards.
Robert carried a Malaysian flag and had the No 1, shaded in Malaysian flag colours, pasted to his right thigh.
He tied the flag to a flight of stairs leading to the peak and spent several moments standing with his arms raised as a sign of victory when he reached the very top.
The morning rain, accompanied by strong winds, did not deter the Frenchman.
On his way down, however, he knocked on a window on the 88th floor and asked to be allowed in as he was overcome by the cold.
It was then that the red-faced security personnel were alerted to the incident and escorted Robert out of the building after he reached an observation platform, on his way down.
He was taken to the Dang Wangi police headquarters, where he was questioned for several hours. A representative from the French embassy also arrived there with Robert's passport and belongings.
About 4.30pm, Robert was taken in a police van to the Jalan Duta court complex to be charged with criminal trespass. However, he was later taken back to the police station as it was after office hours. He is expected to be charged today.
He faces a maximum three months' imprisonment with a fine not exceeding RM1,000 upon conviction.
Met earlier, Robert said he "was happy that he managed to climb all the way to the top".
Robert came into the country on Aug 25. He has climbed more than 80 buildings around the world, including the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State building, Taipei 101 and Chicago's Sear's Tower.
Robert first tried to scale the Petronas Twin Towers on March 20, 1997, and made a second unsuccessful attempt in 2007.
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