Now, the "aliens" have picked Romania.
A mysterious metal structure similar to the one discovered in Utah has appeared in Romania, news reports say.
The enigmatic shiny pillar was found on Batca Doamnei Hill in the city of Piatra Neamt in Romania's Neamt County - just a few feet away from the archaeological landmark Petrodava Dacian Fortress, a citadel built by the ancient Dacian people between 82 BC and AD 106.
The monolith has a height of around 12 feet. Local officials say they still do not know who the pillar belongs to, and have conducted a probe into why it's there.
The peculiar discovery comes after a team of biologists in a helicopter above the Utah desert spotted a strange-looking object last week. Its disappearance Friday sparked theories it could have been the work of extraterrestrial beings.
Some believe it's just the work of an artist or a prankster inspired by Stanley Kubrick's 1968 science fiction movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. Utah's Bureau of Land Management said the monolith was removed by an "unknown" group of people.
UFO spotters and conspiracy theorists around the world became obsessed with the metallic pillar. Although it was only discovered by authorities this month, Google Earth images reveal it had been standing since 2015. So far, no one has come out to claim ownership of the structure.
According to Neamt Culture and Heritage official Rocsana Josanu, they have started investigating the unexplained appearance of the monolith in Romania.
"It's on private property, but we still don't know who the monolith's owner is yet. It's in a protected area on an archaeological site," Lad Bible quoted the official as saying.
Josanu said that before anybody installs something in the protected area, they must first secure a permit from the Ministry of Culture.
One side of the triangular object faces Mount Ceahlau, known locally as the Holy Mountain. It is one of Romania's most popular mountains and is also listed as one of the country's seven natural wonders.
