Couple climb to the top of Empire State building's antenna

A Russian daredevil couple climbs up to the spire of the Empire State Building

in New York and unfurls a large banner urging world peace

in what appears to be an elaborate marriage proposal that ended in their arrest.

Dressed in black and wearing masks

but not tethered

the couple balanced on a narrow ledge atop the New York skyscraper's antenna

which rises 443 metre above Midtown Manhattan.

They unfurled a banner that read

"When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace."

Just after 12.30pm they began to climb down

as the Police Emergency Services Unit were climbing up to meet them.

(Officer) Hello. How are you doing?

Can you stay where you are? Rob you good? How are you doing?

Well you can't be up here.

Alright.

(Climber) I'm okay.

Police apprehended the couple taking them into custody.

The lunch crowd in Manhattan were drawn to the drama

atop the city's iconic landmark by the helicopters flying around.

\LYNDSAY DEBO\Works nearby

I was just sitting over here on my lunch break and then I just

saw a flag and I thought it was for the Fourth of July or something,

a new edition. But then I went back inside and I was like,

there's police and there's helicopters, it's crazy.

A tourist from Scotland in town for the FIFA World Cup

was waiting to go up the Empire State Building at the time.

Jonathan Roman, Tourist from Scotland said

We had tickets to go up at 12:30. We saw the commotion;

it was just beginning. Some of the police cars were just turning up.

When you zoomed right in, you could just see

that there was two people up on the pinnacle, on the antenna,

waving a big black flag. So, we got the news feed on,

we could see a little bit more closely that it was a big flag

saying something along the lines of peace and love, love and peace,

you know, as a friendly sort of demonstration.

It was unclear how the pair gained access to the antenna.

The building's management so far has said only that the

episode was unauthorised.