A solar observatory in the mountains of New Mexico has reopened 10 days after it was suddenly closed and its employees evacuated for a mysterious security threat, baffling locals, the internet, and whipping conspiracy theorists into a frenzy.
On Sunday, the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), announced that it is reopening the Sunspot Observatory, which it manages, and that employees and the residents who had been forced to leave their homes on the site are now allowed to return.
"AURA has been cooperating with an on-going law enforcement investigation of criminal activity that occurred at Sacramento Peak. During this time, we became concerned that a suspect in the investigation potentially posed a threat to the safety of local staff and residents," Shari Lifson, an AURA spokesperson, said in a statement Sunday. "For this reason, AURA temporarily vacated the facility and ceased science activities at this location."
The statement provided no further details on the nature of the presumed threat, or on the status of the investigation.
www.buzzfeednews.com/…
The rest of the article is a recap of what has already happened.