A senior U.S. official says the soldier accused in the killing of 16 Afghan civilians is Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales.  

 The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation into an incident that has roiled relations with Afghanistan.    

American officials had previously said the suspect was a 38-year 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 Friday from Kuwait to a military detention center at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. 

His family was moved onto Joint Base Lewis-McChord last week, which the Army attributed to safety concerns. KIRO 7 learned Friday that their home has been put up for sale. Several boxes could be seen outside the house.

A neighbor told KIRO 7 she was "blown away" to hear about the accusations.

"I don't want to believe that he did it, to be honest," she said.