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Jakarta. The bank heist at a CIMB Niaga branch in Medan on Wednesday was the third armed bank robbery in North Sumatra this year.

On April 30, six armed men robbed a branch of Sumut Bank at Pasar IV Marelan in Medan at noon. They escaped with Rp 500 million ($56,000) in cash.

On June 16, four armed men robbed a BRI bank branch at Jalan Sisingamangaraja and took Rp 50 million. The incident also took place at noon.

The latest bank heist at a CIMB Niaga bank, also at noon, involved at least 12 men who were armed with AK-47 guns. North Sumatra Police Chief Insp. Gen. Oegroseno said that the robbers appeared to be well-trained and may have possibly held up other banks previously.

Security expert Noor Huda Ismail told the Jakarta Globe that the robbers may have links to radical groups or the military.

“Judging from the way they carried the heist in an efficient way, saving time and using hand signals to coordinate their movements, it shows that they are professional. They could be former or active members of the police or military or remnants of the Free Aceh Movement [GAM],” Noor Huda said.

According to Noor Huda, there are former members of GAM who are disappointed with Irwandi Yusuf, the current governor of Aceh province who himself was a former member of GAM's civilian leadership.

“There are former GAM members who disagree with Irwandi's political decisions and they have strong cells in Medan. However, I won't rule out the possibility that they could be linked to Abu Tholut,” Noor Huda said.

Abu Tholut, a former regional commander of regional terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah, is believed to be connected to the Aceh terrorist group. He is still at large.

“The robbers [at CIMB Niaga] remind me of Toni Togar, also known as Indra Warwan, who robbed a bank with his group in 2003. They did it with hand signals, very professional,” Noor Huda said.

Toni Togar, believed to have ties with Jemaah Islamiyah, was convicted in a string of church bombings in Medan in 2000. He also robbed Rp 100 million from a bank in Medan in 2003. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and is currently still serving his sentence.

Read more on the CIMB Niaga bank heist HERE.