French spiderman Alain Robert scales Malaysia's Petronas Towers

Alain Robert, the Frenchman nicknamed "Spiderman" has scaled Malaysia's Petronas Towers at the third attempt.

Photo: French spiderman Alain Robert scales Malaysia's Petronas Towers

Mr Robert, 47, scaled the 88-storey Tower 2, triumphantly unfurling a Malaysian flag as he stood on its 1,483ft pinnacle (452m) on the country's national day.

He took just over two hours to reach the top after setting off in darkness before dawn to avoid the security that had thwarted his previous bids.

But when he came down to the 80-floor viewing deck shortly after 7.30am he was apprehended by security and arrested, reports Telegraph.co.uk.

Robert first tried to scale the building on March 20, 1997, and made a second unsuccessful attempt in 2007 after which he was freed without charge.

He has been nicknamed "Spiderman" for his high-profile escapades, which have included climbing the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

The 452-metre (1,483-feet) Petronas Twin Towers, which were completed in 1998, were for several years the world's tallest buildings until being upstaged by Taipei 101 among others, AFP informs.

Robert has climbed over 80 buildings around the world, including the Eiffel Tower, London's Canary Wharf building, New York's Empire State Building and Chicago's Sear's Tower.

In 2004 he fended off stormy weather to climb the world's tallest building, Taipei 101, in Taiwan's capital. "I did try twice to climb, and climbing to the top is one of my dreams. It's a bit like a love story, not only about climbing the tallest building to make it official... but about completing something unfinished," Robert told Reuters ahead of the climb.

"As a young boy I was afraid of heights and lacked self confidence ," said Robert.