Seattle attorney John Henry Browne said that according to his client's family the soldier had been standing next to his friend when the blast happened.
Browne said all of the soldiers at the remote camp where his client was assigned were upset by the injury. It was not clear whether that might have prompted the killings last Sunday of the civilians, who included women and children.

The soldier had been injured twice during his three previous deployments to Iraq and was loath to go to Afghanistan to begin with,  he had suffered a concussive head injury in a car accident caused by a roadside bomb, and sustained a battle-related injury that resulted in surgery to remove part of his foot, he said.

He was screened by health officials after the head injury before he redeployed, Browne said. He did not know if his client had been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder but said it could be an issue at trial if experts believed it was relevant.

Browne and his co-counsel, Emma Scanlan, said they had met with the soldier's wife and other family members, and Browne said he spoke briefly by phone with the soldier, whom he described as stunned and distant. "[The family] were totally shocked," he said. "He's never said anything antagonistic about Muslims. He's in general very mild-mannered."

Browne said he knew little of the facts of the shooting but disputed reports that a combination of alcohol, stress and domestic issues caused him to snap. He said the family were unaware of any drinking problem and described the couple's marriage as "fabulous".

Browne declined to release his client's name, citing concerns for his family, who are under protection on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, near Tacoma. But he said the soldier has two young children, aged three and four.

The suspect was flown out of Afghanistan on Wednesday evening to what was described as a pre-trial confinement facility in Kuwait. Officials have described him as a soldier of 11 years' service.

Browne said, the soldier will have at least one military lawyer, according to army authorities, and senior commanders will decide whether the matter goes to a trial.

Agencies/Guradian.