A district judge in Blackpool has issued a warrant for the arrest of Abdulah Husseni – a “lookalike” of Friends star David Schwimmer – after he failed to attend court on charges of theft and fraud.
Earlier this year police had posted an appeal on Facebook asking for witnesses to identify a suspect pictured leaving a restaurant in Blackpool carrying what appeared to be a carton of cans.
Facebook users quickly piled into the comments section, pointing out the suspect’s likeness to David Schwimmer’s character Ross Geller in the well-loved US show.
The day after the appeal was shared, a post on the Lancashire Police Twitter account said: “Could we BE any more overwhelmed with the response to our CCTV appeal about a theft at a restaurant in Blackpool?
“Most importantly, we’re now satisfied we’ve identified the man in the still & our enquiries are very much continuing. Huge thanks for sharing it with your Friends.”
Schwimmer responded to the picture by posting a video to his Twitter account that showed him scurrying through a convenience store carrying a carton of beer before looking up furtively at a CCTV camera.
He captioned the video: “Officers, I swear it wasn’t me. As you can see, I was in New York.
“To the hardworking Blackpool Police, good luck with the investigation.”
He added the hashtag #itwasntme to the post.
The alleged theft happened on September 20, the post by Blackpool police said.