AC/DC drummer arrested in NZ on murder plot

WELLINGTON - AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd was charged with attempting to "procure" a murder Thursday after New Zealand police raided his home, reports said.

Police raided Rudd's waterfront home at Tauranga in the North Island and charged him with a raft of offences, Fairfax New Zealand reported.

It did not reveal details of the alleged murder plot.

A police spokeswoman confirmed a 60-year-old man was arrested in Tauranga and charged with attempting to procure a murder, threats to kill and possessing methamphetamine and cannabis.

She said the man was due to appear in Tauranga District Court on Thursday afternoon. The spokeswoman declined to reveal the identity of the arrested man and no one from the court was available to comment.

Australian-born Rudd joined the legendary hard rockers in 1975 and left in 1983, only to link up with them again in 1994.

The band, one of the highest grossing music acts of all time, has had numerous hits that are still staples on classic rock radio worldwide, including Back in Black, Highway to Hell and Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.

In September the band revealed that founding member Malcolm Young had dementia and was being treated in a Sydney care facility.

Despite Young's illness, Rudd was quoted earlier this year as saying the band would not fold.

Under New Zealand law, attempting "to procure any person to murder any other person" is punishable by up to 10 years in jail.