Area 51 has long been thought of by conspiracy theorists as a place where the US government is hiding intel on alien activity, and it all began when an apparent weather balloon crashed into the nearby town of Roswell in 1947. Many believed the weather balloon – the official stance by US authorities – was actually an extraterrestrial UFO, and the US government has been keeping alien secrets ever since. Now however, the public is demanding answers and a staggering 280,000 people and counting have signed up to a Facebook event called “Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us”.

A further 310,000 people have clicked on the event saying they are "interested". According to a description of the group, attendees will meet nearby and storm the top secret base on September 20. The description reads: “We will all meet up at the Area 51 Alien Center tourist attraction and coordinate our entry. If we naruto run, we can move faster than their bullets. Let’s see them aliens.” While the event is obviously tongue-in-cheek, having been created by a group called ‘Sh**posting cause im in shambles’, some people failed to get the joke.

Area 51: 220,000 people plan to STORM military base to gain alien secrets

One Facebook user commented: “Apparently none of ya’ll understand military weapons. Also what makes you think there isn’t a contingency plan for things like this already in place? “I know this is a joke but if you do actually pull this stunt you are actually either going to be responsible at best for the largest mass incarceration in history and at worst the largest suicide run.” Another added: "Can someone go Facebook live so when y'all end up in jail or shot, we can see why no one has ever tried this."

The page says to meet at the Area 51 Alien Center