UK police say no evidence of gunshot near taxi carrying Private Eye editor

London: British police said on Wednesday a "mechanical fault" rather than a gunshot could have shattered the window of a London black taxi reportedly carrying Ian Hislop, the editor of satirical news magazine Private Eye.

Police had initially launched an investigation into a suspected firearms discharge in Soho, central London, on Tuesday morning, after a taxi driver had reported a shot being fired towards his vehicle. There were no injuries.

London's Metropolitan Police did not name Hislop in its statement but the Guardian newspaper reported that the taxi was carrying him.

In an update on Wednesday, following CCTV and forensic examinations, police said that while enquiries were still ongoing, they had not found any evidence of a firearms discharge.

"Initial indications suggest a mechanical fault might have caused the window to shatter. We await further tests," the update said.

A representative for Hislop, 64, who has edited Private Eye since 1986, did not respond to a request for comment.

The fortnightly magazine is well known for lampooning British politicians of all stripes - often through its signature covers featuring jokes inside speech bubbles - and its investigative reporting.