houston police: allergic to fun

Texas police arrest French "Spiderman"
Wed Nov 23, 2005 9:42 AM ET

HOUSTON (Reuters) - A daredevil climber known as "the French Spiderman" who has scaled skyscrapers around the globe was arrested on Tuesday as he tried to clamber up a Houston office building, authorities said.

Alain Robert, 43, dashed from a taxi to the 46-story Houston Center but was stopped just as he was starting his ascent. Police said a reporter had tipped them off to his plans.

"A tall officer was able to grab his ankles. He was about one or two steps from getting away," Houston police spokesman Alan Wright said.

Robert's Web site claims he has climbed some 70 buildings including the Eiffel Tower; the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; London's Canary Wharf Building; the Empire State Building in New York and Chicago's Sears Tower.

Last December he defied stiff winds and rain to climb the world's tallest building, Taipei 101, in Taiwan's capital.

Houston police charged Robert with criminal trespass and possession of narcotics. They said Xanax tablets were in his bag and it was unclear if he had a doctor's prescription for the anti-anxiety drug.