Man scales Trump Tower to meet Republican nominee

A supporter of Donald Trump drew world attention after recklessly scaling 21 stories of the Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan in an attempt to meet the building's owner, US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, before being caught by police on Wednesday.

The 20-year-old man used four suction cup-like devices and a climbing harness to scale the outside of the 58-storey skyscraper on Fifth Avenue, which is the headquarters for Trump's election campaign.

The man, from Virginia, wore a backpack as he scaled the tower's glass exterior.

The police first tried to coax him inside by throwing a rope in his direction.

The police officers then smashed windows and broke through a ventilation duct in a bid to stop his climb.

For hours, the climber played the game of cat-and-mouse with the police officers. He often shifted his route in what appeared to be attempts to get around the police officers who stood at the windows above him.

A big crowd gathered beneath to watch the stunt as the climber made his way up the facade of the building.

The chase ended when the policemen finally hauled him inside through a window.

Courtesy: YouTube/Mike Buedel

Later, the New York Police Department, at a news conference, said the unidentified man did not express a desire to harm anyone and said his mission was to meet Trump.

The man is undergoing a psychiatric evaluation and will be arrested, police said.

Donald Trump in a Twitter message lauded the police for "protecting the people and saving the climber."

Police had earlier closed several streets near the building in one of the city's busiest areas and put an inflatable landing pad on East 56th Street between Madison and Fifth Avenues.

The New York City Police Department said on Twitter that its special operations division and emergency crews had been sent to the building.

Reports of the climber first surfaced on Twitter and social media around 4 p.m. local time (2000 GMT).

In a video that was uploaded to YouTube on Tuesday, the man discussed climbing the tower in a message addressed to Trump.

He wore a black hooded sweatshirt and long hair was over his eyes. He referred to himself as an "independent researcher" seeking a private audience with Trump to discuss an unspecified important matter.

"The reason I climbed your tower was to get your attention," he said in the video and then encouraged people to vote for Trump.

People took to Twitter to express their reactions.