Two Dutch tourists hoping to film a YouTube video of themselves exploring Area 51 have been jailed after admitting trespassing at the top secret US military site.
YouTube star Ties Granzier, 20, and his friend Govert Charles Wilhelmus Jacob Sweep, 21, were sentenced to 10 days in jail in Nevada, US, after pleading guilty to misdemeanor trespass and illegal parking.
The pair were arrested by cops outside the top-secret military facility – a highly restricted security zone.
A judge on Monday said they could be released today, after spending three days behind bars, if they pay fines of $2,280 (£1,825) each.
Tomorrow, hundreds of people are expected to descend on Nevada for an event called ‘Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us’ which was created as a hoax on Facebook.
Two million people have clicked to say they will attend to try and get a glimpse of aliens and UFOs after event creator Matty Roberts invited people to ‘see them aliens’.
The US Air Force has said it’s ‘ready to protect America and its assets’ if thousands of alien hunters do try to break into the base.
Granzier and Sweep handed all their computer and camera equipment – including an aerieal drone – over to police after their arrests.
Their lawyer Adam Solinger said their harsh sentencing was a direct result of the Storm Area 51 event threat – with authorities hoping it acts as a deterrence.
He said his clients had planned to post video on the internet ahead of events this week stemming from the event.
They were some 20 miles from the remote US Air Force site when they were arrested, Mr Solinger said.
It is unclear how many people could turn up to events planned at the tiny Nevada desert towns of Rachel and Hiko, while event creator Matt will be hosting a separate party in Las Vegas.
Nye County prosecutor Chris Arabia has warned Sweep and Granzier they could face a more serious conspiracy charge if they are found again at the Nevada National Security Site.
Heavily patrolled by security, Area 51 is where the government conducted nuclear weapons tests from 1945 to 1992.
Access is prohibited.
Granzier and Sweep were arrested on 10 September in a car inside a site gate.
In a Nye County sheriff’s office video news release, Sweep and Granzier said they would return to the Netherlands after their expected release today.
Granzier said: ‘We didn’t want to cause any trouble. ‘It has all gone a little out of hand.’
