BBC film crew was held at gunpoint at Area 51

Image Credit: CC BY-SA 3.0 Jimderkaisser

Area 51 is well guarded. 

Comedian Andrew Maxwell and his crew once had their own harrowing experience near the secretive facility.

The incident, which occurred back in 2012 during filming of the BBC Three show ‘Conspiracy Road Trip’, began when the group, having arrived at the entrance to film a segment for the show, got a bit too enthusiastic and ended up venturing into the restricted zone beyond the gate.

“To me it seemed like an ordinary military facility,” said Maxwell. “But my companions were convinced this was the gateway to the extraterrestrials.”

“We got a little bit overexcited, and we strayed into the restricted zone to ask where the aliens were kept. But after knocking on the guard house door, we found ourselves lying on the ground, with gun barrels pointed at our heads.”

The military guards confiscated the crew’s camera equipment and recordings and detained them for a full four hours for trespassing before releasing them without charge.

Such incidents are not actually that unusual – several visitors to the secretive base have been arrested and detained over the years, a testament to the level of security guarding the facility.

Back in September of this year, two Dutch YouTubers – 20-year-old Ties Granzier and 21-year-old Govert Charles Wilhelmus Jacob Sweep – were picked up by guards 3 miles into the restricted zone surrounding the base. Unlike Maxwell’s crew however, the pair did end up being charged.

Mass arrests were also expected during the infamous ‘Storm Area 51’ event, also during September, however in the end relatively few people showed up and the actual ‘storming’ never took place.

Suffice to say, if you do venture into the restricted zone, don’t expect to get very far.

Source: The Mirror