BERLIN, April 1, 2008 (AFP) - A 31-year-old German woman has been arrested on suspicion of killing two young children in Sweden last month, a spokesman for prosecuting authorities in Germany said on Tuesday.

The woman was arrested near the German city of Hanover on Sunday after she was linked to the murder of children aged one and three in Arboga, west of Stockholm, in mid-March, spokesman Thomas Klinge said.

Their mother was seriously injured in the attack.

The German suspect is the ex-girlfriend of the mother's companion, according to information given to prosecutors in Hanover.

The man was initially suspected of committing the crime but after it became clear that he had an alibi, suspicion turned to his former lover and a European warrant was issued for her arrest.

Klinge said Swedish authorities have requested that she be extradited.

The appeal court in Celle in Lower Saxony was due to take a decision on the matter in coming weeks.

Klinge said it was not clear whether the children had been stabbed to death with a knife as initial reports indicated or whether another weapon, such as a hammer, was used in the attack.