Lawyer: suspect Afghan friend Had been blown

The soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan villagers expectation to fly to a US military prison as early as Friday, a senior Defense official said, as the soldier Attorney spoke about the consequences that the fighting had on his client.

The Defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the move, said the soldier safety around the facility in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., the only militaire's prison Qincheng prison would go.

The suspect was moved from Kuwait to Afghanistan on Wednesday. Officials said that the transfer was necessary because there was no appropriate detention center to keep him in Afghanistan.

The official said that the SHIFT does not necessarily mean that a decision leading to the announcement of formal criminal charges against the accused was.

The soldier's lawyer, Seattle Attorney John Henry Browne, told reporters Thursday that the day before the rampage, he saw his friend's leg blown.

Browne told The Associated Press that his client family him with details of the damage to another American soldier provided. The details are not independently verified.

"His leg was blown, and my client stood next to him," he said Thursday.

It is not clear whether the incident would have helped prompt the horrific middle-of-the-night attack on civilians in two villages last Sunday. Browne said that it affected all of the soldiers at the base.

John Henry Browne, the attorney representing the American soldier who is accused of killing 16 Afghan citizens, speak with reporters, Thursday Mar. 15, 2012, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) Close

The suspect had been injured twice during his three previous deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan didn't want to go to begin with, said Browne.

Browne declined to releasing the name of his client, citing concerns for the man's family, who on joint Base Lewis-McChord under protection, near Tacoma. But he said the soldier has two young children, ages 3 and 4.

FBI spokeswoman said the Agency and Ayn Dietrich in Seattle the Department of Homeland Security issued a bulletin Thursday about the possibility of homegrown extremist retaliation for the shooting, but she said there is no specific purpose or credible information about an impending attack.

The soldier, a 38-year-old father of two who was originally from the Midwest, with the 3rd Stryker Brigade last December, and on 1 February is deployed was annexed to a "village stability operation." Browne described him as highly decorated and said that he had one times nominated for a Bronze Star, which he has not received.

He said the soldier and his family had thought he was ready to fight. During the tours in Iraq, the soldier a concussive head injury suffered in a car accident caused by a roadside bomb, Browne said, and he suffered a stroke-related damage that resulted in surgery to remove part of his foot.

He was screened by health officials after the head injury before he deployed, said Browne. He didn't know if his client was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, but said that it would be an issue at trial if experts believe that it is relevant.

He and the rest of his brigade had initially told they would not have to go to Afghanistan, said Browne.

Browne and his co-counsel, Emma Scanlan, said at a press conference in their Seattle law office that they had met with the soldier's wife and other family members, and Browne said he spoke briefly by phone with the soldier, who he described as stunned and Afar.

His family was "totally shocked," he said. "He has never said anything antagonistic about Muslims. He is generally very gentle. "

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