Private Eye editor Ian Hislop was targeted by a gunman who shot at his taxi last night during rush hour.
The Have I Got News For You star, known for his exchanges with rival team captain Paul Merton, was in the back seat of the black cab when a firearm was discharged.
The bullet struck the rear window of the hackney carriage shortly after 10am on Tuesday as the car sat in traffic in Soho, central London.
Both escaped without injury, according to reports. The incident took place on Dean Street close to its junction with Oxford Street – close to where Private Eye’s offices are located.
Mr Hislop has been the editor of Private Eye since 1986. The weekly magazine is as famed for its satirical pieces and cartoons as it is for its in-depth investigations into politicians and City businesses.
During his tenure he is believed to have become one of the most sued men in English legal history.
However, police have reportedly stressed that they are keeping an open mind as to any motive for the attack.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson told the Guardian, which first reported on the incident: ‘Police were called at 10.10am on Tuesday, 1 October to a report of a firearms discharge on Dean Street, Westminster.
‘The driver of a London black taxi reported he was stationary in traffic when a shot was fired towards his vehicle, striking the window.
‘There were no injuries. An investigation has been launched.’