London daredevil scales western Europe's tallest tower

An unknown daredevil on Monday scaled The Shard in London -- currently ranked as the tallest building in the European Union -- without the apparent assistance of a safety harness or ropes.

Footage of the stunt published by British newspapers showed the man climbing near the very top of the narrow pyramid-shaped building on the banks of the River Thames.

"Police were called at 05:15 hours on Monday, 8 July following reports of a 'free-climber' on the Shard," the police department said in a statement to AFP.

"Emergency services attended and the man is now with officers.

He was not arrested." The property company overseeing the skyscraper said it could not "comment on the motive of the individual".

One man who posted footage of the climb on Twitter said the daredevil managed to get all the way to the top before being taken in by the police.

"The guy's got to the top and is being spoken to by the police," witness Kevin Williams tweeted.

The 309.6-metre-tall (1,016-foot-tall) building has .