French police have evacuated the area around the Eiffel Tower after a man was seen climbing it, hours before the Olympics closing ceremony on Sunday.
The shirtless man was seen climbing the 330-metre (1,083-foot) tall tower in the afternoon. It is unclear where he began his climb, but he was seen just above the first viewing deck, just above the Olympic rings that decorate the second part of the monument.
Police cleared visitors out of the area around 3 p.m. Some visitors were locked in the second floor for a while before being allowed out about 30 minutes later.
The Eiffel Tower was the highlight of the opening ceremony, in which Celine Dion performed music from a viewing area overlooking the city. The tower is not expected to be part of the closing ceremony, which was scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. at the Stade de France in the northern suburb of Saint-Denis.
The incident comes as Olympic competitions are coming to a close and security services in Paris and elsewhere are turning their attention to the closing ceremony, which will mark the end of the Games.
More than 30,000 police officers were deployed around Paris on Sunday. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said about 3,000 police officers would be deployed around the Stade de France to ensure security on the final day of the Olympics, and 20,000 police and other security personnel would remain in the Paris and Saint-Denis area until late Sunday.
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