They will be remanded for three days to assist in police investigations.

The remand of seven of the 20 individuals arrested earlier has also been extended by another three days. Their remand expired yesterday.

Ayob Khan said police were also trying to identify the masterminds behind the demonstration.

“The seven just arrested and the seven who will continue their remand are all suspected to be involved either by lighting the flares or carrying banners,” he said at a press conference in Johor Bahru today.

“But whether or not they were the masterminds, or if other individuals were behind this group, is still being investigated.”

A video clip of a street protest at Parit Raja was posted online last Thursday and it quickly went viral on social media.

It showed a group of motorists and motorcyclists blocking a busy intersection, burning flares and setting ablaze a banner with the words “Kerajaan Gagal” on it.

Investigations into the incident are being carried out under Sections 144, 269, and 505 (b) of the Penal Code, Section 8 of the Explosives Act 1957, Section 48 of the Road Transport Act, and the Prevention and Control of Infections Diseases Ordinance 2021.

In an unrelated case, Johor police smashed two drug syndicates believed to be smuggling syabu to Indonesia.

Ayob Khan said three Malaysian men and an Indonesian woman, aged between 36 and 49, were arrested in operations carried out from last Wednesday to last Friday.

Police seized 84kg of syabu valued at RM3 million and two vehicles and froze two bank accounts.

In a separate operation, police arrested a Malaysian also suspected of smuggling syabu, hidden in the boot of his vehicle.

Ayob Khan said the drugs confiscated in the two cases were enough to supply 600,000 addicts.