‘Spiderman’ held after Malaysia tower climb

A French climber nicknamed "Spiderman" scales Malaysia's 88-story Petronas Twin Towers — and is arrested.

Image: French climber Alain Robert, a.k.a. \"Spiderman,\" Kuala Lumpur

French climber Alain Robert, known as “Spiderman,” stands on the tip of the Malaysia's landmark Petronas Twin Towers after scaling one of the spires of the 1,483-foot building in Kuala Lumpur.Zainal Abd Halim / Reuters

Sept. 1, 2009, 6:03 PM UTC / Source: The Associated Press

Police arrested a French climber nicknamed "Spiderman" on Tuesday after he scaled Malaysia's iconic 88-story Petronas Twin Towers.

Alain Robert sneaked past security early Tuesday to climb to the top of Tower 2 of the landmark buildings in Kuala Lumpur before he was detained, said city Police Chief Muhammad Sabtu Osman.

Robert is being investigated for criminal trespass, which carries a maximum jail term of six months and an $850 fine, he said.

Robert has already tried to climb the Twin Towers twice but only reached the 60th floor each time before he was arrested. His last attempt was in 2007.

The 47-year-old has climbed more than 70 skyscrapers worldwide, including the Empire State Building, the Sears Tower and Taipei 101, according to his Web site.