Nevada, United States

As the mystery surrounding the shiny monolith which appeared out of nowhere in the desert near the US city of Las Vegas continued, the local police said that they had removed the structure over “public safety” concerns. The move, which has been described as “lame” by social media users, came after the mirrored structure was spotted last week. 

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Why was it removed?

In an update about the pandemic-era mystery, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) said that they had removed the “mysterious monolith” on Thursday (Jun 20) afternoon “due to public safety and environmental concerns.”

The mysterious monoliths which appeared seemingly out of nowhere across several countries and multiple US states during the COVID-19 pandemic had resurfaced over the weekend when the LVMPD announced the latest sighting. 

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However, on Friday (Jun 21), in a series of posts on X, the Las Vegas police announced the removal of the glimmering, six-foot-four prism. 

“It is being stored at an undisclosed location while public authorities determine the most appropriate way to dispose/store the item,” said the Las Vegas police. 

It added that the structure was “made out of reflective sheet metal folded into a triangle and secured with rebar and concrete.” 

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The officials also said that they are not sure how the monolith got to its location or who might be responsible. 

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The monolith, similar to that of an object which appears in Stanley Kubrick’s movie ‘2001: A Space Odyssey,’ was spotted by the Las Vegas Metro Search and Rescue team at Gass Peak which is 64 kilometres north of Sin City. 

The Las Vegas police, in subsequent posts on X, also reminded hikers and visitors to remain on marked trails and discouraged people from “venturing off” or “leaving objects and items behind.”

‘Lame’: Social media users respond

Hundreds of people commented on the social media post by the Las Vegas police and called the removal of the monolith “lame” while others called it a waste of taxpayers’ money.

Also Read | ‘Mysterious monolith’ returns! Mirrored structure spotted in desert near Las Vegas

“Thank goodness you got rid of that thing. The environment was in danger! People could have been hurt! Heroic stuff. Bravo,” said one user.  

The series of discoveries starting in 2020 has sparked many conspiracy theories involving aliens, while others suggest that it could just be a highly coordinated and elaborate prank. 

The first monolith was discovered by accident when wildlife officials in the US state of Utah. The structure mysteriously disappeared less than 10 days later. 

The more recent one was found on a hill in Wales, United Kingdom back in March. 

(With inputs from agencies)