SHANGHAI - An intrepid climber dubbed the "French Spiderman" was expelled from China Tuesday after five days in prison for illegally climbing the country's tallest building, a French official said.

Alain Robert, seen here, an intrepid climber dubbed the "French Spiderman" was expelled from China Tuesday after five days in prison for illegally climbing the country's tallest building, a French official said. [AFP]

Alain Robert was arrested Thursday after having scaled and descended the 430-metre (1,410 feet) Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai, dressed in his trademark Spiderman costume and without any ropes or safety equipment.

Robert was put on an Air France plane which left Shanghai airport at 11:20 am (0320 GMT) on Tuesday, an official from the French consulate here said.

The climb -- which had not been approved by Chinese authorities -- brought traffic to a standstill and attracted a large crowd of onlookers near the 88-storey tower, many snapping pictures with their mobile phones.

The 44-year-old "urban climber" has been tackling the world's tallest buildings -- often illegally -- since 1994, according to his website.

In 1998 in Japan, he was sentenced to 20 days in prison for climbing a Tokyo tower, although he was released after five days following the intervention of the French ambassador.

The daredevil was also arrested during an attempt to climb Malaysia's 88-storey Petronas Twin Towers in March this year after reaching the 60th floor.