CIMB Niaga Armed Robbery Linked to Terorrism

National Police Chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri said the August 16 armed robbery at Bank CIMB Niaga in the North Sumatra provincial capital of Medan is not merely an ordinary crime but also is linked to terrorism.

"The robbers looked for funds to finance terrorism," he said at the North Sumatra provincial police headquarters here on Monday night.

He said they robbed a number of banks to collect funds to buy firearms and finance other terrorism activities.

Therefore, he added police sent members of anti-terrorist unit special detachment 88 (Densus 88) to North Sumatra to hunt down suspects in the armed robbery at the bank.

The Dansus 88 members worked day and night to find the suspects and arrested six of the suspects and shot dead three of them as they resisted arrest, he said.

Earlier in the day, Head of the Public Relations Division at the National Police Headquarters Insp. Gen. Iskandar Hasan said police have named 18 people as suspects in the armed robbery.

The suspects were arrested in different places in Belawan and Tanjung Balai, North Sumatra, on Sunday (Sept 19) at around 07.00 p.m., and the other two were arrested in Lampung, he said.

"The suspects particularly those arrested in Lampung are linked to an arms sales and are involved in a robbery. Meanwhile, the mastermind of the robbery is identified by his initial as M," he said.

Police also seized an AK 47 firearm, a FN firearm and explosives of TNT type from the suspects, he said.

Sixteen armed robbers raided the bank in the North Sumatra provincial capital on August 16 and made off with Rp1.5 billion in cash after killing a Mobile Brigade member stationed there to ensure security and wounding two bank security guards.