 On 30 April the men informed their landlord that they were going to Bristol for a week and then returning to Iraq , stated that they would no longer require the flat , and arranged for their belongings to be sent to Iraq . They left the building at 09 : 30 ( BST ) on 30 April . Their initial destination is unknown , but en route to the Iranian Embassy they collected firearms ( including pistols and submachine guns ) , ammunition and hand grenades . The weapons , predominantly Soviet @-@ made , are believed to have been smuggled into the United Kingdom in a diplomatic bag belonging to Iraq . Shortly before 11 : 30 , and almost two hours after vacating the nearby flat in <unk> Gardens in South Kensington , the six men arrived outside the embassy . 
