Fears that Ian Hislop was shot at in taxi are rowed back on by police

First pictures have emerged of the cab carrying Have I Got News For You star Ian Hislop amid fears it was shot at - as police revealed what they now suspect really happened.

Suggestions that the Private Eye editor was fired at in a taxi in central London were rowed back after officers discovered the car could have had a mechanical fault.

Glass shattered inside the vehicle carrying Hislop, 64, after a window was smashed and there were initial reports someone had fired a weapon at the vehicle close to his satirical magazine's offices in Soho, central London.

Witnesses have described how Hislop - who has now issued a statement thanking 'everyone for their concern' - was seen 'shaking' in the aftermath of the incident which took place shortly after 10am yesterday. 

Newly-emerged footage taken by a local showed the damaged vehicle being lifted on to a truck after the mystery incident.

It was reported that Hislop and the driver feared a bullet had struck the rear window of the hackney carriage as it sat in traffic in Soho.

The cab driver told detectives the car was at a standstill in traffic when he heard a noise akin to something striking the window.

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Private Eye editor Ian Hislop 'targeted in gun attack' after his taxi was 'shot at' during rush hour

Police conducted a search of the area, closed roads and have been reviewing CCTV footage - but now believe no shots were fired, it was revealed.

Scotland Yard said in a new statement this afternoon: 'Police continue to investigate the circumstances around an incident in Soho on Tuesday morning.

'The driver of a London black taxi called police at around 10:10hrs and reported that he was stationary in traffic in Dean Street when a shot was fired towards his vehicle, striking the window and damaging it. There were no reported injuries.

'An investigation was launched and police seized the vehicle.

'Urgent CCTV and forensic examinations have been conducted. While enquiries are ongoing, police have found no evidence of a firearms discharge at this time.

'Initial indications suggest a mechanical fault might have caused the window to shatter. We await further tests. Police have informed the driver and passenger.'

A statement on behalf of Hislop this afternoon said he 'wishes to thank everyone for their concern which is greatly appreciated'.

It continued: 'He can confirm that there was an incident in a taxi yesterday in which a rear window shattered, and the police are investigating.

'They were initially looking into the possibility of a shot having been fired but have now indicated that there may be another more innocent explanation for what happened.'

Several locals on Dean Street today told MailOnline they did not hear any noise akin to a gunshot at the time the window shattered.

An eyewitness said Mr Hislop could be seen sitting outside a local restaurant as police were seen looking at the car, which had its back window smashed.

'I saw him - he was shaking,' the man added. 'When you're a political journalist like him, you've got to be careful.'

Footage taken by a local shows the taxi being lifted into a truck, the back window partially smashed.

One worker nearby said: 'We had a lot of people coming in who told us the police were outside - then heard it was Ian Hislop in the taxi.

'I saw all the police officers out in the street, then the taxi being taken away.'

A local worker, who asked not to be named, said: 'I just saw the taxi in the street - it was parked just up there [beside the Soho Theatre].

'My colleague spotted it - all of the window at the back was smashed in, just a little black cab. I think I saw it at about 10.30am - with all the police alongside.'

Another local employee told MailOnline how Hislop was regularly seen in the trendy thoroughfare, which is yards from the Private Eye offices on Carlisle Street.

The Metropolitan Police had previously 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.'

Hislop has been a team captain on BBC comedy panel show Have I Got News For You since its opening episode in 1990 and has been Private Eye editor since 1986.

During his tenure in charge of the Eye - having become its youngest ever editor aged 26 - Hislop is believed to have become one of the most sued men in English legal history.

The magazine's fearlessness in printing allegations against the rich and powerful has made it a magnet for libel lawsuits.

It reportedly sets a quarter of its budget aside to pay out in legal cases.

Mr Hislop told the Independent in 2010: 'When I took over, I made a number of very pompous statements about how I was really going to cut the libel bills and this shoddy approach to libel wasn't going to exist any more.

'Then over the coming years, I managed to enter the Guinness Book of Records for the most money ever lost and hit a number of just huge payouts.'