MOSCOW, April 11 (RIA Novosti) - Alexander Levin, accused of murdering a couple in west Russia in 2001, has been extradited to Russia from Israel, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office said on Friday.

Alexander Levin together with accomplices is accused of raiding a couple's house in Russia's Belgorod Region in January 2001. The attackers murdered the owners and stole property worth over 115,000 rubles ($4,900).

Levin fled Russia after committing the crime and was later spotted in Israel. In February 2004, Russia made a request to Israel's Justice Ministry for his extradition. Levin was arrested in December 2006, and an Israeli court ruled on Levin's extradition in February 2008.

A convoy made up of officers from the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service and Interpol's bureau in Russia escorted Levin to Russia on April 10.

Israel "has for the first time over a long period met the request of the Russian Prosecutor General's Office to extradite," Russian prosecutors said, describing the event as a step toward future successful cooperation between the two countries' law enforcement agencies.