Police detain man for displaying US flag on Eiffel Tower

A man who climbed the Eiffel Tower carrying an American flag on the evening of July 4 was detained by police, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.

The man climbed the tower at 3:45 p.m. local time (5:45 p.m. in Baku) and began hanging a US flag from the metal structure between the second and third levels. Visitors were evacuated from the square below and from two levels of the monument while authorities carried out the operation to remove both the man and the flag.

During questioning, the man declined to explain his motives.

AFP noted that the United States was marking the 250th anniversary of its independence from the United Kingdom. On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress. The original draft of the document was written by Thomas Jefferson, who later became the third president of the United States.

By Jeyhun Aghazada