The individual who recorded the video clip depicting children wading through a pit with snakes was never a police suspect, said inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar.

According to Bernama, Khalid said that the police sought the video maker because the person was a key witness.

"We have since identified the individual who has cooperated well with the police.

"We were looking for him because he was the first to see what happened, for instance who threw the snakes into the pool, and the sort of training the students were undergoing," he told reporters in Ipoh.

He hoped that his explanation would put to rest speculations on the reasons why the police were interested in the video maker.

Thus far, the police have recorded statements from 21 individuals in connection with incident, said Khalid.

"If there is a mistake we will investigate and submit (our findings) to the attorney-general for further action," he said.

Khalid was referring to a widely shared video clip which depicted Civil Defence Department personnel making young girls wade through a muddy pool with at least one large snake in it.

The children were identified as students from SK Beluru. They were attending a camp run by the Civil Defence Department grounds in Kuala Kangsar.

The Civil Defence Department had expressed regret over the incident but claims that feedback on the camp from the students were mostly positive.