The U.S. soldier held in connection to a heinous shooting rampage that claimed the lives of 16 Afghans - including nine children - has been identified as Staff Sgt Robert Bales.

Staff Sgt Robert Bales is pictured before he went on his murderous rampage.
Afghan villagers say the victim's bodies were set alight.
Bales is said to have been plagued by various stresses stemming from his deployment, his marriage, and the fact that he had seen a friend's leg blown off the day before the massacre.

The father of two from Ohio was reported to have been drunk at the time of the alleged rampage, according to some sources.
Bales was stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, near Tacoma, Washington, where it is thought his family have been moved to a secure unidentified location, although it is not known if he has made threats to slaughter them.

He was flown to an American base in Kuwait earlier this week, but on Friday evening was transferred to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas for detention ahead of a future court martial.

His attorney, John Henry Browne, has said he plans to highlight Bales's suspected post-traumatic stress disorder, exacerbated by his witnessing an explosion the day before the alleged attack.

Browne represented serial killer Ted Bundy, who murdered 30+ females.