A French internet start-up company 'stormed' a hotel favoured by Hollywood A-list celebrities near Cannes as part of an ill-judged PR stunt.
The company sent a rigid inflatable boat carrying a load of 'commandos' to the hotel.
Guests cowered in fear as the men, who guests feared were terrorists, approached.
The six men, who were on a boat flying a black flag, approached the Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc, which is about 30 minutes outside Cannes at high speed.
A spokesman for France's National Police force said: 'It was not a terrorist attack. It was a communication effort and publicity for an Internet site.'
According to the Hollywood Reporter, a hotel spokesman said the stunt was 'just a bad joke - a really bad one'.
One guest said: 'We were caught off guard. And then someone screamed and people jumped out of their chairs and started moving quickly to the swimming pool area. It was pretty scary. The fact that men appeared to be dressed like an ISIS-like militia group was quite shocking.'
The company, Oraxy, claims it is the world's first private global marketplace reserved exclusively for 'ultra high net worth individuals'.
According to one insider, the website is an 'e-Bay for the one per cent.'
The source said: 'Already there are five 100 metre yachts on the site. It is designed to be a place were the super rich can keep in contact securely.
'The plan is to have high-end art works, expensive watches and pretty much anything else the super rich want or need. But to become a member, you have to be amazingly wealthy.'
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