Drummer Phil Rudd of AC/DC, which probably is the only band with a popular song about Murder-For- Hire, was arrested for 'procuring' a hitman to kill two people.
There are speculations slowly heating up that Rudd may have hired the hitman after being kicked out of the band recently. Did he try to 'kill' his band mates? Or who were his victims are few of the questions thousands of AC/DC fans have been asking over online forums.
Rudd, 60, has been charged with attempting to arrange a murder, along with other charges such as threatening to kill and possession of methamphetamine and cannabis, BBC reported.
The identities of the 'men' he allegedly wanted to kill and the name of the alleged potential hitman have been suppressed on the orders of the local court, CNN affiliate TVNZ reported.
Rudd reportedly has taken a 'no plea' to the charges laid against him at the Tauranga District Court, and currently has been granted bail until 27 November. Police also searched Rudd's waterfront home in Tauranga on Thursday morning, where they found a stash of methamphetamine and cannabis, TVNZ reported.
The Australian-born drummer moved to New Zealand in 1983, after being sacked by the group. He was taken back in 1994.
AC/DC have a new album called Rock or Bust out for release for 2 December. Their new single "Play Ball" was shared last month.
Recently there have been online speculations on whether Rudd was still in the band or not, as on two major occasions of the band he remained absent. He did not appear in a new photo of band members released last month, and reportedly was also not seen during the filming of a new music video of the band.
Rudd is the only Australian-born member of the AC/DC band. In 2003, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the other members of AC/DC.
The Young brothers - Malcolm and Angus were the only original members in the band for decades until Malcolm's departure in 2014 after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and confined to a care facility in Sydney. His place in the band will now be taken by Steve Young.
Now with Rudd's possible departure, the only surviving member from the band will be Angus.
The question now is whether any of the band members, including Angus or new member Steve Young were on Rudd's hit list?
