A statement was released by the office of the State Counsellor of Myanmar after the riot, stating that the storming of the administration office by protesters was what prompted the response by the police. The Rakhine State Government later announced that locals had demanded that an impartial and independent commission investigate the riot. Eight protesters were detained in connection to the riot, and Aye Maung, who was supposed to speak at the event, was arrested for allegedly supporting the Arakan Army, a Rakhine insurgent group. Bo Bo Min Thaik, the former administrative officer of Mrauk U who resigned after the riot, was found stabbed to death in a burning car on the Yangon–Sittwe Highway near the village of Thayattcho on 31 January 2018. Authorities blamed the Arakan Army, but stated that there was no evidence linking the murder to the riot.