He also said the 36-year-old suspect has been identified, Berita Harian reported.

“Based on our investigation, the suspect left the country in October 2016, and there is no record of him returning to the country,” Razarudin was quoted as saying.

He said police were investigating the suspect’s ties to another man who had shared the video of the incident on social media in Sabah.

Razarudin had previously revealed that the individual who recorded the video was a Sabahan with a criminal record.

On Monday, police said they launched an investigation into a viral video after 35 police reports were lodged.

The viral video showed a group of people putting up a makeshift flagpole with the Jalur Gemilang and lowering it. They then replaced it with the Sabah flag, followed by the Kingdom of Sarawak flag, which was flown from 1946 to 1973.

According to Sinar Harian, the incident took place in front of the Parliament of Victoria building in Melbourne, Australia.