Alain ‘Spider-Man’ Robert, scaled Malaysia’s iconic 88-story Petronas Twin Towers

From Mail Online

Perhaps it was a protest against yesterday’s announcement that the Disney corporation had bought the rights to his image.

Or maybe it was just another heart-stopping stunt by renowned free climber Alain ‘Spider-Man’ Robert, who today scaled Malaysia’s iconic 88-storey Petronas Twin Towers – that’s 1,482ft without any ropes.

The New Straits Times reports that Robert sneaked past security before dawn on Tuesday and climbed to the top of Tower 2 of the landmark Kuala Lumpur building.

The building was the tallest in the world until 2004 – and this was Alain’s second attempt, after he was arrested 60m up in 2007.

French climber Alain Robert, known as ‘Spiderman’, climbs Malaysia’s 452m landmark Petronas Twin Towers in downtown Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Alain Robert’s freehand climb would have meant negotiating the globe placed near the top of the tower

 Alain Robert was arrested once he reached the top

City deputy police chief Abdul Samah Mat said he has been informed about the feat but that he could not provide more details.

Robert was arrested once he reached the top, just like he was on a previous attempt in 2007 after reaching the tower’s 60th floor.

The 47-year-old has climbed more than 80 skyscrapers worldwide, including the Empire State Building, the Sears Tower and Taipei 101.

He is also no stranger to Australia, having previously scaled the Sydney Opera House.

At 5ft 5in, he is short and light, which helps with his climbing. He also sometimes uses a bag of chalk powder to absorb sweat.

He suffered two serious accidents in 1982 – including a head-first 15 metre fall which left him in a coma for five days and with multiple fractures.

The married father-of-three rarely has permission from the authorities to attempt his dangerous exploits, so he has been arrested many times at the end of his climb.

Yesterday, Disney announced it had bought the rights to all Marvel Comic characters, for $4billion.

The move will bring characters such as Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk and Spider-Man into the family of Mickey Mouse and ‘Toy Story.’

Malaysia’s iconic 88-story Petronas Twin Towers soars 452m, or 1,482ft, into the sky and is one of the landmarks of Kuala Lumpur