:: Alain Robert: Malaysia's Petronas Towers

News Asia-Pacific

'Spiderman' climbs Malaysia tower

The climb up Malaysia's Petronas Towers was Robert's third attempt since 1998 [Reuters] A French climber known as "Spiderman" for his rope-less ascents of the world's tallest buildings has successfully climbed Malaysia's Petronas Towers after two previous attempts were cut short. Alain Robert began climbing Tower 2 of the 88-storey buildings before dawn on Tuesday and took just over two hours to fulfil a long-held dream to reach the top. He unfurled a Malaysian flag when he reached the very tip of the tower's pinnacle, 451.9m above the ground. The climb was his third attempt at reaching the top of the towers since 1998. "With due respect to Malaysia, I came to finish something ... you know climbing the Petronas [Towers] all the way to the top is one of my dreams and maybe because I am having the motivation, maybe also I am a little bit stubborn," Robert told Reuters news agency. Unlike most of his ascents, there was no crowd at the base of the building to cheer him on, because the climb was done in secret aimed at avoiding detection from the authorities. Detained Robert was by authorities detained on the 80th floor of the tower as he was descending the building. "We have taken him back to the police station for questioning and checking his passport. He can be charged for criminal trespass," Muhammad Sabtu Osman, the Kuala Lumpur police chief, told AFP news agency. Robert's climb of the Petronas Towers follows two failed attempts in 2007 and 1998. Both attempts were launched during the day, attracting attention from building security and officials who in both cases apprehended him at a deck at level 60 of the building. Robert has scaled over 80 buildings around the world, including the Eiffel Tower, London's Canary Wharf building, New York's Empire State Building and Chicago's Sear's Tower. In 2004, he climbed the world's tallest building, Taipei 101, in Taiwan's capital.