Brazilian authorities detained two French men for watching the sun rise from the top of the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue while the monument was closed, reports revealed on Tuesday.
Clement Dumais, 28, and Paul Roux-dit-Buisson, 27, entered the site of the 38-meter (125-foot) monument and stayed there after the statue was closed to watch the sun rise over Rio de Janeiro.
The two French went inside before dawn, climbed a long spiral staircase and came out through a hatch on one of the arms to enjoy the view of the city and Guanabara Bay. However, their adventure ended as one of the security guards at the site noticed them.
"We were standing on the arms and the head and a security officer saw us," Roux-dit-Buisson told AFP.
Thus, the two men were detained and released after posting 10,000 reais ($1,900) in bail. The two will now have to appear before a judge.
On their part, tourism police in Rio de Janeiro declined to comment, saying they were looking into the incident.
Hailing from Paris, the two men have staged similar feats at iconic architectural sites in Dubai, New York, and Paris and documented their adventures on social media.
Police have confiscated all the photos and videos the men made while on top of the Rio statue, but the travelers say they have no regrets.
"The view was nice. Few people get a chance to see that," Roux-dit-Buisson said. "We were able to get inside the skin of Christ."
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