AUSTRIAN prosecutors yesterday announced the arrest of three people in connection with a video that triggered the collapse of the far-right government.

Prosecutor Thomas Vecsey said that authorities had made the arrests and searched their properties on Tuesday, but declined to provide further details.

The video released to German media in May showed then vice-chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache appearing to offer business deals to a woman posing as the niece of a Russian oligarch in his holiday villa.

Mr Strache was filmed pledging favours in exchange for her help in boosting support for his Freedom Party (FPO) through news coverage.

The footage was allegedly recorded on the Spanish island of Ibiza shortly before Austria’s 2017 general election.

Austrian media outlets reported that the private investigator who was involved in producing the footage attempted to blackmail Mr Strache.

The FPO was brought down in May by the scandal after only 18 months in a coalition government, when Mr Strache promptly resigned despite denying any wrong-doing.

Mr Strache is also currently under investigation on suspicion of embezzling party funds in a suspected graft scheme involving him, his former bodyguard and a woman who had worked as his office manager.

Austria’s former chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who called for early elections after the video’s initial release, is currently in talks with the Greens to form a new government.

Mr Kurz’s People’s Party (OVP) had previously reached an agreement with the FPO after two months of talks.

The FPO suffered heavy losses in the September elections while the Greens made significant gains.