Houston: A 25-year-old man accused of murdering "American Sniper" author Chris Kyle and another man in the US state of Texas, was an Iraq war veteran, authorities confirmed Sunday.

The US military said the suspect Eddie Ray Routh was a corporal in the Marines from 2006 to 2010, and he is currently listed as reserve, reported Xinhua citing the Houston Chronicle. Routh is charged with two counts of capital murder, for allegedly killing 38-year-old Kyle and 35-year-old Chad Littlefield at Rough Creek Lodge, an upscale hunting lodge in northern Texas, on Saturday afternoon.

Kyle was considered one of America`s deadliest snipers. The retired Navy SEAL served four tours of duty in Iraq and wrote the best-selling autobiography "American Sniper" in January 2012. Littlefield was his friend. IANS