PHOTO: Naked man climbs historic statue for three hours to prove a point?
At one point he stood precariously atop the statue with his arms outstretched. He also appeared to take the sword from the statue and wave it about.
At another, he perched acrobatically - with his arms out stretched for balance - upon the Duke's feathered plume, before sitting down on his head.
Hundreds of baffled passers by gathered in the busy road, which runs between the Houses of Parliament and Trafalgar Square, to watch the exhibition unfold in wonder.
Finally, after just over three hours atop the monument, he finally gave up and climbed down before police took him away in a marked van.
Police said he has not been arrested but detained under the Mental Health Act at a secure hospital in London.
The man's motives for the extravagant display of public nudity remain unclear.
The spectacle began at around midday today, when he scaled the statue and broke off its hand, before throwing all his clothes to the ground.
One witness, Richard, who owns a street souvenir stand, said he had been acting strangely before climbing onto the statue.
He said: 'He was walking around this one acting weird, just sniffing around.
'Then he starting walking down the middle of the road and just started running towards the statue - he was legging it.
'He literally just scampered up there very quickly. He climbed up and sat down on it and then got undressed.
'He ruined our business for the day.'Hundreds of baffled passers by gathered in the busy road, which runs between the Houses of Parliament and Trafalgar Square, to watch the exhibition unfold in wonder.
Finally, after just over three hours atop the monument, he finally gave up and climbed down before police took him away in a marked van.
Police said he has not been arrested but detained under the Mental Health Act at a secure hospital in London.
The man's motives for the extravagant display of public nudity remain unclear.
The spectacle began at around midday today, when he scaled the statue and broke off its hand, before throwing all his clothes to the ground.
One witness, Richard, who owns a street souvenir stand, said he had been acting strangely before climbing onto the statue.
He said: 'He was walking around this one acting weird, just sniffing around.
'Then he starting walking down the middle of the road and just started running towards the statue - he was legging it.
'He literally just scampered up there very quickly. He climbed up and sat down on it and then got undressed.
'He ruined our business for the day.'
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