Friends star David Schwimmer glad lookalike thief in Blackpool 'did not do something worse'

Friends star David Schwimmer has said he is relieved a lookalike thief in Blackpool did not commit a more serious crime.
The original Blackpool Police appeal (left) and David Schwimmer's responseThe original Blackpool Police appeal (left) and David Schwimmer's response
The original Blackpool Police appeal (left) and David Schwimmer's response

The actor, famous for playing Ross Gellar in the hit US sitcom, hit the headlines in bizarre fashion when an appeal sent out by Blackpool Police went viral.

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Social media users were quick to notice the resemblance between the thief police were trying to track down - who later turned out to be a serial crook from Slough by the name of Abdulah Husseini - and Schwimmer.

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It even prompted the actor to release his own tongue in cheek video 'proving' to officers that he could not have committed the offence as he was in New York at the time.

Speaking to Sky News for his new Sky comedy show Intelligence, he said: "My friends here in the UK had sent me a link to the post that the police had posted, which was quite cheeky.

"And I thought, well, if they're gonna have fun at this, then I thought I'd better respond. That was funny.

"I was just glad it wasn't a more serious crime, because then I wouldn't have responded."

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In response to the police appeal - showing Husseini in a shop carrying beer, which he bought with a stolen card - Schwimmer shared a similar image of himself.

He wrote: "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."

The original appeal was shared more than 11m times and attracted 30,000 comments.

Husseini, then 36, was described in court as a "travelling, wandering, nomadic thief" as he was jailed for nine months for theft and fraud offences in 2019.