FORT HOOD (Texas) - THE Muslim military officer suspected in the shooting deaths of 13 people here was transferred on Friday from a civilian to a military hospital in part for security reasons, a military official said.

Major Nidal Hasan, who was shot by police to stop a rampage on Thursday at Fort Hood, was moved to the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio Texas, said Colonel John Rossi, the base's deputy commander.

'The suspect Major Hasan was transported today approximately (at) 3pm to Brook Army Medical Center,' he told reporters.

Col Rossi said investigators believe Hasan fired more than 100 rounds during the incident, and that that accounted for the high number of casualties.

Based on cartridges recovered at the scene, Col Rossi said 'all indications are this is not a friendly fire incident'. He said the victims were shot in an enclosed troops processing centre, but Hasan was gunned down in an open area by two civilian police officers, one of whom was also wounded but was in stable condition.

Of 30 people wounded in the attack, 23 remained hospitalised, about half of them in intensive care, he said. -- AFP