Three students dressed as terrorists, who were taking part in a university fundraising prank in UCC, blundered into armed gardai protecting the British Ambassador, Veronica Sutherland, it has emerged.

The ambassador was visiting University College Cork at the end of last month when three people, apparently "armed" with guns and wearing balaclavas, sunglasses and combat trousers, entered the UCC student centre, in which Sutherland was due to give a lecture later that morning.

The ambassador's visit to the campus on November 20th, accompanied by a team of 15 to 20 people, had been kept secret from all but a handful of staff.

A group of students addressed by Sutherland were told only that a VIP would be speaking to them and that their lecture was being transferred to the on-campus student centre, Devere Hall - Aras Na Macleinn.

Three people dressed in combat gear, one wearing a "Crossmaglen Rangers" tracksuit, arrived on the first floor of the building and entered the college bar. In fact, the three involved - two males and a female - were members of the university's roleplaying society, WARPS. The students were engaged in an annual fundraising venture, which involved "assassinating" a fellow student using toy guns. They were unaware of the ambassador's presence on campus.

As the ambassador's armed security team prepared to move in on the three students, Martin Clancy, facilities manager of the centre, intervened and explained the situation to both the students and the gardai.

A spokesman for UCC students' union said that they had not been informed of Sutherland's visit and, with "a bit more communication", the incident could have been avoided.

"Someone could have been killed," he said. "That possibility did exist and the Special Branch would just have been doing their job."

A spokeswoman for the British Embassy said that the ambassador was not aware of the incident.

In an interview with the University Examiner newspaper in UCC, the three students, using pseudonyms, said that they were sorry for what had taken place and would be writing to the ambassador to offer their apologies.