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An Army psychiatrist set to be shipped overseas opened fire at the Fort Hood, Texas, Army post on Thursday, in a rampage that killed 12 people and left around 30 wounded in the worst mass shooting at a military base in the United States.

The gunman, first said to have been killed, was wounded but alive and in stable condition under military guard, Lieutenant General Bob Cone said at Fort Hood on Thursday evening.

Cone said the suspect "was shot multiple times at the scene" but survived and was in a stable condition in custody.

The man was identified as Major Nidal Malik Hasan, a 39-year-old, eight-year veteran from Virginia.

Earlier, Cone had said that the shooting began around 1:30 pm local time (1930GMT), when shots were fired at the base''s Soldier Readiness Center where soldiers who are about to be deployed or who are returning undergo medical screening.

Cone said initially three people were held, and all had been interviewed. Authorities believe, however, that there was a single shooter.

Hasan had transferred to Fort Hood in July from Walter Reed Medical Center, where he received a poor performance evaluation, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case publicly.

It was unclear what the motive of the shooting was, though it appeared he was upset about a scheduled deployment overseas. It was not known if he was headed to Iraq or Afghanistan, nor when he was scheduled to leave.

The wounded were dispersed among hospitals in central Texas, Cone said.

Video from the scene showed police patrolling the area with handguns and rifles, ducking behind buildings for cover.

Sirens could be heard wailing while a woman''s voice on a public-address system urged people to take cover.

The base was locked down in the immediate aftermath of the shootings.

Anxious family members waited outside the base for news, sending their prayers to those who had lost loved ones.

"My daughter is just inside a building, you know, and some people have lost their fathers and their mothers today and that''s horrible" said one woman.

Cone said Fort Hood had been released from lockdown late on Thursday but would continue to operate at "a heightened level of security".

Around the country, some military bases stepped up security precautions, but no others were locked down.

In Washington, Congress held a special a moment of silence to honour the victims of Fort Hood.

President Barack Obama called the shooting "a horrific outburst of violence."

He said it is a tragedy to lose a soldier overseas and even more horrifying when they come under fire at an Army base on American soil.

Around the country, some bases stepped up security precautions, but no others were locked down.

Covering 339 square miles (878 square kilometers), Fort Hood is the largest active duty armored post in the United States.

Home to about 52-thousand troops as of earlier this year, the sprawling base is located halfway between Austin and Waco.