Authorities in Italy have arrested a 65-year-old man suspected of brutally killing two women nearly half a century ago in Australia. The suspect, holding both Greek and Australian citizenship, was apprehended at Rome's Fiumicino airport after arriving on a flight from Greece. The arrest was made on the basis of an international warrant issued by Australian authorities, with the suspect currently in custody in Italy, pending extradition to Victoria.

The suspect is accused of the 1977 murders of Suzanne Armstrong, 27, and Susan Bartlett, 28, in Melbourne, a crime that sent shockwaves through Australia at the time. The victims were found stabbed to death in their Easey Street residence, while Armstrong's young son was unharmed in another room. The heinous crime, known as the "Easey Street murders," became one of Melbourne's most infamous cold cases, remaining unsolved for over four decades.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton expressed the significance of the arrest, stating, "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." Australian authorities had offered a $1 million reward in 2017 for information leading to the resolution of the case, which remained unsolved until new technology provided a breakthrough in the investigation and the suspect's DNA sample was requested.

Italian courts are set to determine the extradition timeline of the suspect to Victoria, where he will potentially face trial for the brutal killings that terrorized the community in 1977. The arrest in Rome marks a significant development in bringing justice to the victims of the long-standing "Easey Street murders" case that had perplexed investigators for decades.