Racist fires nail into bus driver

A race hate attacker shot a black female bus driver in the stomach with a nailgun.

The woman was at the wheel of her bus when a motorcyclist pulled up alongside while it was stationary in traffic. He then fired one nail from a nailgun through the cab window, shouting that he hated all Somalians.

The victim, who is in her forties and is not Somalian, was taken to a central London hospital where a 2.5 inch nail was removed from her abdomen. Scotland Yard said she was traumatised by the attack, although her injuries were not serious.

The attack happened in the Great Western Road at about 5.15pm on Monday. The driver is based at the nearby Westbourne Park depot.

Detective Inspector Aidan Beck said: "Luckily, the victim only received relatively minor injuries, but the distress this has caused her is unimaginable.

"I am appealing to anyone who was travelling on the number 328 bus on Monday afternoon. At that time the bus would have been busy with people travelling home from school and work.

"I would also like to speak to anyone who was driving along the Great Western Road at the time and who may have seen the motorcyclist before or after this incident." The racial origins of the man on the motorcycle are unclear as he was wearing a dark crash helmet.

Transport for London condemned the attack. "It is appalling that someone at work can be assaulted in this way," said a spokeswoman.

"The fact that this appears to be racially motivated is even worse. Our sympathy goes out to the driver and her family."

In 2002, about 700 bus company staff threatened to strike after what they claimed was a rising tide of violence against drivers.

Drivers at Westbourne Park said staff were attacked "four times a day" and "threatened with guns and beaten up a regular basis".