London -- A British judge has issued an arrest warrant for an alleged shoplifter whose striking resemblance to David Schwimmer made international headlines. Abdulah Husseni failed to appear in court in Blackpool, northwest England, on Tuesday to face charges of theft and fraud.

Husseni, 36, who lives in Slough to the west of London, was facing charges on Wednesday of theft and fraud, and is now subject to an arrest warrant issued by District Judge Jane Goodwin for his failure to show up.

He stands accused of stealing a coat, phone and wallet from someone in a restaurant in the northwest U.K. resort city of Blackpool.

Blackpool Police shared the image of the thief who bares an uncanny resemblance to actor David Schwimmer, who played Ross Geller in the 90s sitcom "Friends" Blackpool Police

But his image became world famous after police published surveillance-camera video taken after the alleged restaurant theft of a man carrying a carton of cans of beer from a restaurant in Blackpool.

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Social-media users noted a strong similarity to Ross Geller, the character played by Schwimmer on "Friends."

The actor himself responded with a Twitter video that showed him scuttling furtively through a convenience store clutching a carton of beer. Schwimmer wrote: "Officers, I swear it wasn't me. As you can see, I was in New York."