French famous climber scales 42-story skyscraper in Frankfurt and gets arrested

Alain Robert, also known as the "French Spiderman", got arrested after climbing without permission a 42-story skyscraper in Frankfurt.

The 57-year-old famous climber scaled the 153-meter building located in Frankfurt, German's financial center, on September 28, 2019.

The ascent of the glass structure lasted only 20 minutes and, remarkably, Robert did not use any safety equipment. People amazed by the climbing attempt kept staring and taking photos from the streets.

After descending the building, the German police arrested him for potential trespassing of the property and for his action that was considered an offense. A preliminary investigation showed that the building has not been damaged by the scaling. 

Robert is well-known for his attempts to climb the tallest buildings in the world. In particular, he has managed to climb 145 of them without using any specialized equipment. "Climbing is my passion but also my philosophy of life," he mentions on his personal website.

He usually climbs the buildings with no permission and he often gets arrested. In 2018, he was arrested after climbing the Salesforce Tower, a 202-meter height skyscraper located in London. Earlier in 2019, he scaled a 68-story building in Hong-Kong and raised a reconciliation flag between Hong Kong and China.

Among his additional achievements, he has climbed Eiffer Tower, Burj Khalifa, the Montparnasse Tower and the Sydney Opera House.

Robert was a normal climber in France when he sustained a devasting injury after a fall in 1982. He was hospitalized in a coma for 5 days and suffered critical injuries. After undergoing numerous surgeries, doctors told him that he was 66% disabled and that he would never climb again. He then went through a 2-week depressing period but he decided he had to pick up the pieces and fully take advantage of the remaining 34% functioning part of his body. 

Today, besides a climber, Robert is also a motivational speaker.