World | Robert Bales Afghanistan Shooting Suspect Identified Senior US official names Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales By Newser Editors and Wire Services Posted Mar 16, 2012 5:51 PM CDT Copied Afghan villagers pray during a prayer ceremony for the victims of Sunday's killing of civilians by a US soldier in Panjwai, Kandahar province south of Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, March. 13, 2012. (AP Photo/Allauddin Khan) A senior US official says the soldier accused in the killing of 16 Afghan civilians is Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales. American officials had previously said the suspect was a 38-year-old staff sergeant and that he had spent 11 years in the Army. But they had refused to release his name, saying it is military policy to publicly name a suspect only after he has been charged with an offense. Bales has not yet been charged. He was being flown today from Kuwait to a military detention center at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Other recent developments: Afghan President Hamid Karzai doesn't quell speculation that there was more than one shooter. A military official says "stress, alcohol, and domestic issues" caused the alleged shooter to snap. The "Barefoot Bandit" lawyer has taken the case. Read These Next Her blood isn't compatible with anyone else's. New Fox star, 23, misses first day after car troubles. Man accused of killing his daughters might be dead. Fan who taunted Ketel Marte's mom has been banned by MLB. Report an error