More than 400,000 people have joined a Facebook event pledging to raid Area 51 – a restricted area of Nevada in the US where conspiracy theorists believe alien activity to be taking place.
Organisers of the Facebook event called “Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us,” are determined to invade the highly classified site on Friday September 20, between 3am and 6am.
"We can move faster than their bullets," the event page promises those who RSVP.
But why are people planning on storming the area?
What is Area 51?
For decades, the mysterious Area 51 has been the subject of UFO conspiracy theories, with many people believing it’s where the US government stores its secrets about extra-terrestrial activity.
In 1947, a United States Army Air Forces balloon crashed at a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico.
Conspiracy theorists believed that the vessel was in fact an alien spaceship, and was carted off to Area 51 for examination.
Others think the US government uses the site to develop sci-fi weapons, weather control and even time travel.
In 2013, the area was officially acknowledged as a military site, but the government has never disclosed what type of activity goes on there.
On Saturday 20, organisers of the event are planning to conduct a “Naruto run,” as they approach the site, a term which refers to a Japanese anime style of running with the arms thrust backward and the head stretched forward.
Where is Area 51?
Area 51 is located in the southern portion of Nevada, about 134km north-northwest of Las Vegas.
The site was acquired by the United States Air Force in 1955, mainly for the flight testing of the Lockheed U-2 aircraft.
