'Ross from Friends' thief suspect turns out to look nothing like him after all

New image released by Lancashire Police

Abdulah Husseini became an unwitting viral sensation (Lancashire Police)

A 'lookalike' of Friends actor David Schwimmer has been arrested after failing to attend court before Christmas.

Lancashire Police released a mugshot of Abdulah Husseini after he failed to appear in court in Blackpool over allegations of theft and fraud - and despite the previous CCTV image going viral over the likeness to Friends character Ross Geller, the new image appears to look nothing like the Friends star.

The 36-year-old was caught on CCTV on 20 September, when he allegedly stole a coat, a phone and a wallet from Mr Basrai's on Talbot Road in Blackpool.

After police in Blackpool posted an image of him holding what appeared to be beer cans, social media users pointed out the likeness to Mr Schwimmer's character in the popular sitcom.

Mr Husseini was accused of theft and fraud and ordered to appear at Blackpool Magistrates' Court on 18 December.

A district judge issued a warrant after the 36-year-old failed to appear and the Metropolitan Poice arrested him for a second time on 17 January.

But the latest image of Mr Husseini bears little resemblance to Ross Geller.

After the CCTV image became a viral sensation last autumn, Mr Schwimmer responded with his own take on the 'lookalike'.

He posted a video to his Twitter account that showed him hurrying through a convenience store carrying a carton of beer, before looking up furtively at a CCTV camera.

The actor 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."

The 36-year-old has been remanded to appear at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court on 23 January, a spokesperson for Lancashire Police said.

Additional reporting by agencies