Still digging on this fellow, Rashid Razaq, the writer of the play about Obama and his lost Pakistani friend. This picture is driving me crazy. This fellow at least has some resemblance. Just an interesting bit of information on him and connection to Madeleine McCann from a CNN interview from Sepember 26, 2007. Can't remember if this has already been reviewed.
https://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0709/26/cnr.04.html
PHILLIPS: Who is this young blonde? Well, the parents of Madeleine McCann, the young girl that's been missing now for almost a year, they thought possibly it could have been her. We've got the photographer on the phone, actually, Rashid Razaq, a reporter from the "Evening Standard."
Rashid, I understand that it has just been confirmed that this is not Madeleine McCann, but why don't you tell us how you came across this little girl and why you thought it was her?
VOICE OF RASHID RAZAQ, EVENING STANDARD: Sure, hi, there, hello.
Well, we – like everybody else, we saw the picture. We saw the uncanny resemblance to Madeleine, we tracked down the village where the photo was taken, it's about 90 minutes from Tangier. And when we got there, we started talking to locals.
And it became apparent this picture was actually of a local girl called Bushra (ph). And we were directed to her family, a family of farmers, and we saw her in person. And although she does have a resemblance to Madeleine, it was obvious that this girl wasn't Madeleine McCann, and she was the one that was in the photograph. So, sadly, it's not Madeleine.
PHILLIPS: So, how was the final determination made, Rashid? Obviously, you went there, you talked to the villagers and by talking to them, you found out this wasn't Madeleine through these individuals. But, did anything else have to happen? Did the parents get involved? Did they look at these pictures? Did you have conversations with them?
RAZAQ: Sure, we spoke to them. And actually, the woman carrying Madeleine in – sorry, my mistake – carrying the girl in the photograph, is this girl's mother, and the other young girl is her sister. The picture was actually taken about two minutes from their home. And just spending, you know, a few minutes talking to them, it became quite apparent that this is, obviously not Madeleine.
PHILLIPS: So what was going through your mind when you first snapped the photo, that initial photo we're about to see, where she's sort of – she's in a little – she's being carried on the back of who you say is a parent.
RAZAQ: Yes.
PHILLIPS: How did you see her, and were you just in a certain place at a certain time, or did you get reports that it might be her? RAZAQ: Sorry, that photo, I think there might be some confusion. That photo was taken by tourists three weeks ago.
PHILLIPS: OK, so you followed up and went and got the other photos.
RAZAQ: Followed up – which – and if you look at these, the photos that we've got, I think it becomes quite clear that that's not Madeleine McCann. I think the surprising thing here to say is that there has been an interpol search for three weeks since these pictures were taken. But the locals and this girl's parents say that the police haven't been to see them. If the police had been to see them, they would have been able to discount this lead, and not raise these false hopes.
PHILLIPS: Right.
RAZAQ: There has been some shortfall on the police's part.
PHILLIPS: Well, you were able to bring the truth about, because there were so many people talking about that initial picture.
Rashid Razaq with the "Evening Standard," sure appreciate you talking with us.
RAZAQ: No problem, thank you.