'Spiderman' who saved child by climbing up outside of Paris building is invited to meet President Macron

The man who climbed four storeys to save a child dangling from an apartment balcony has been invited to meet French president Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace.

Mamoudou Gassama – nicknamed the Spiderman of Paris – scaled the front of the apartment block to reach the helpless four-year-old.

The Mali migrant, who only arrived in the city a few months ago, has also been told authorities will support his efforts to settle there following his heroics.

Video of Mr Gassama, 22, went viral after his rescue over the weekend. As a gathering crowd looks on, he climbed four floors in less than a minute to pull the child to safety.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo lauded him and said she had called him to personally say thanks.

Nicknaming him the "Spiderman of the 18th" – a reference to the Paris district where the incident unfolded – she said: “Congratulations to Mamoudou Gassama for his act of bravery that saved the life of a child.

"He explained to me that he had arrived from Mali a few months ago dreaming of building his life here. I replied that his heroic gesture was an example for all citizens and that the city of Paris will obviously be keen to support him in his efforts to settle in France."

Mr Gassama told Le Parisien newspaper he had been walking past the building when he saw a crowd gathered and the boy dangling.

"I did it because it was a child. Thank God I saved him,” he said.

The Parisian fire service said crews had arrived to find the rescue already completed.

"Luckily, there was someone who was physically fit and who had the courage to go and get the child," a spokesman said.

Local authorities said the child's parents were not at home at the time. The father has been questioned by police on suspicion of leaving his child unattended. The mother was not in Paris at the time, it is understood.