UFO enthusiasts drawn by alien-themed festivities poured into rural Nevada on Friday near the Area 51 U.S. military base, but fears of a mass raid on the remote site or a public safety crisis proved unfounded, with only five people arrested. More than 3,000 out-of-towners ventured on Thursday and Friday to the desert region around Area 51, a secretive U.S. Air Force installation long rumored to house government secrets about extraterrestrial life and spaceships. The pilgrimage and two festivals welcoming the visitors were organized after a Facebook user jokingly exhorted readers to “storm” Area 51 on Sept. 20 “to see them aliens.” The date chosen for the gathering was never explained.
