Turkish Hotel Staff Dress In ISIS Costumes To Fake Gun Attack At Resort, Tourists Flee In Fear
British guests at the Turkish resort Club Hotel Pineta got a horrifying surprise while on vacation at the beach retreat. One of the staff members of the resort donned an ISIS-inspired costume and pretended to reach for a gun at his waist while guests looked on in horror from the pool. Many of the stunned guests screamed as they fled the area in fear of their lives. The startling prank was all too real for many tourists as the June, 2015, Tunisian beach massacre, which left 38 dead, was fresh on their minds.
The Daily Mail reports that staff at the Club Hotel Pineta in Marmaris, Turkey, played a horrifying prank on guests. An unnamed member of the resort staff allegedly put on an outfit meant to resemble the attire worn by Islamic State terrorists before approaching tourists at the pool. It was reported that the staff member then approached a six-year-old girl playing near a sunning bed before pretending to reach into his coat for a weapon.
#ClubhotelPineta in Turkey should be shut down for good and staff jailed for life. That stunt was abominable and diabolically evil
— SayItLikeItIs (@TheTruthBuffet) October 29, 2015
Guests at the resort allegedly began to scream and flee the area as the fake ISIS militant chanted in Arabic. After his fun was over at the pool, the Islamic State impersonator entered the resort’s restaurant where he continued his act. The reaction of the guests was not surprising. Many of them noted that they had “no idea” what was going on or if the person in black was really a terrorist. Therefore, they “feared the worse.” Meanwhile, some of the guests complained to the receptionist but did not receive the customer service they had hoped. Instead, the reception staff allegedly “laughed” at the complainers and found the “prank” hilarious.
Tourists ‘run for lives’ at #Turkishhotel as staff dress up as #ISIS #ClubHotelPineta https://t.co/dLMvQn12TJ pic.twitter.com/csy3m45NOi
— Trending ISIS News (@ISISolizer) October 29, 2015
According to the Independent, witnesses at the scene snapped photos of the fake ISIS terrorist and posted them online. The photos show the staff member dressed in a black robe with a hood and mask over his face. He allegedly chanted in Arabic before continuing with his prank near the pool and inside of the restaurant. It was noted that many of the other staff members at the Club Hotel Pineta appeared to find the joke amusing and did nothing to calm down the angry guests.
Following the less-than-desirable vacation, at least one guest is suing her travel agency that booked the resort for her vacation. Anne Thomson, a travel lawyer with Your Holiday Claims, will be representing the guest in the lawsuit and says that it is completely unacceptable to subject any guest to this type of treatment at a resort, noting that her client actually feared for her life during the insensitive prank.
“It’s unacceptable to be subjected to such an experience.”
Oddly, this isn’t the first insensitive post-Tunsia massacre prank to take place at a Turkey resort. In fact, in August of this year, just two months after the deadly Tunsia beach massacre, staff at the Grand Yazici Mares hotel in Icmeler, Turkey, apparently ran into the pool area with fake machine guns and canisters labeled as “fuel.” The staff members then poured the “fuel” over the head of one of the tourists before lighting a match. Guests fled in panic and lodged numerous complaints with the hotel. However, the guests were told that the act was all part of a “Hollywood-themed” show. Despite the explanation, many felt the “show” was too similar to the Tunsia beach massacre and in poor taste.
What do you think should happen to the Club Hotel Pineta and the staff member responsible for the fear-inducing prank?
[Image via Expedia]
