Police said they would seek to extradite the dual Australian-Greek citizen over the stabbing deaths of 27-year-old Suzanne Armstrong and 28-year-old Susan Bartlett.

Victoria state police declined to comment on a report in The Age of Melbourne that the suspect had been linked to the crime through a DNA sample from a relative.

According to the paper, the man had been living in Greece where he was protected by the country’s statute of limitations.

Police said he was arrested at an airport in the Italian capital on Thursday evening and placed in custody.

“For over 47 years, detectives from the homicide squad have worked tirelessly to determine who was responsible,” said Victoria police chief commissioner Shane Patton.

“The Easey Street murders, as they came to be known, have always been a priority for Victoria police,” he said.

The two women’s bodies were discovered at their house in Easey Street, Melbourne on Jan 13, 1977, with multiple stab wounds.

Armstrong’s then-16-month-old son was found unharmed in his cot.

“This was a crime that struck at the heart of our community – two women in their own home, where they should have felt their safest,” Patton said.