David Schwimmer ‘lookalike’ arrested in theft probe after failing to attend court

Police have arrested a “lookalike” of Friends star David Schwimmer, who failed to attend court before Christmas.

A warrant was issued by a district judge for the arrest of Abdulah Husseini, 36, when he did not attend his hearing at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court on December 18 accused of theft and fraud last September.

On Monday, Lancashire Police said Husseini was arrested in Wimbledon, London, by the Metropolitan Police on January 17.

The force added Husseini was also being sought by the Met after failing to appear at court to answer a charge of handling stolen goods and an outstanding theft matter.

Social media users pointed out the likeness to Schwimmer’s character Ross Geller in the popular US sitcom when police in Blackpool posted an image of a man leaving a restaurant on September 20 and carrying what appeared to be beer cans.

Schwimmer responded 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.

Husseini is said to have stolen a coat, a phone and a wallet from Mr Basrai’s restaurant in Blackpool.

Husseini has been remanded to appear at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on January 23, said Lancashire Police.