Afghan attack suspect at Leavenworth

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) The soldier accused of gunning down 16 Afghan villagers has arrived at a U.S. military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

Army officials confirmed Friday that Staff Sgt. Robert Bales had arrived at the prison in northeast Kansas after a flight from Kuwait. The 38-year-old had previously been moved to Kuwait from Afghanistan.

Bales is an 11-year veteran who was in the midst of his fourth tour in a war zone. He arrived in Afghanistan in December. He was assigned Feb. 1 to work with a village stability force that pairs special operations troops with villagers to help provide neighborhood security.

He's accused of going on a shooting rampage in villages near his southern Afghanistan base early Sunday, killing nine children and seven other civilians, then burning some of their bodies.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)