New York, New York - A trio of robbers targeted monks at gunpoint at a Buddhist temple in Brooklyn on Sunday, police and sources said.

The criminals broke in through the back door of Watt Samakki Buddhist Temple on Rugby Road near Caton Ave. in Flatbush just after 2:25 PM, police said.

Once inside, one of them pulled a gun on four monks and demanded they turn over cash and property. Police said the suspects used a chair to climb over a fence and gain access to the property through a back door.

They stole several of the monks' personal items and some cash.

The men took off on foot northbound on Rugby Road and are still being sought, police said.

A neighbor recalled other robbers targeting the temple in the past, but hadn't heard of any burglaries in about 10 years.

"It’s a temple so people leave offerings to the Buddha," said Geoffrey Stewart. "It was kind of known that there was money inside."

No one was injured in the latest robbery.

Watt Samakki Buddhist Temple serves a mostly Cambodian community in the New York and New Jersey area.